


Domus Unitas [The Original]

by Luca_Crimson



Series: Domus Unitas [1]
Category: Harry Potter - J. K. Rowling
Genre: BAMF Severus Snape, Book 1: Harry Potter and the Philosopher's Stone, But Nothing Too Bad, Dark Sirius, Disney Songs, Gay friendly wizarding world, Gryffindor Harry Potter, Hufflepuff Neville Longbottom, I just do not treat her very nicely, Multi, Narnia References, Pansy Parkinson Bashing, Powerful Harry, Powerful Hermione, Powerful Neville, Ravenclaw Hermione Granger, Ron Weasley Bashing, Slytherin Aliciel Blaire, Smart Harry, Some swear words, Trans Character, just things like idiot and prat
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2015-11-01
Updated: 2016-02-11
Packaged: 2018-04-29 10:42:35
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 10
Words: 47,052
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/5124533
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Luca_Crimson/pseuds/Luca_Crimson
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>This is the first work I ever published here. Once I was finished with the first year I realized many mistakes I made in my excitement to share my ideas with the fandom. In short, this story is borderline crack at times, had some major issues I need to fix and the only reason I have not deleted it is because of the wonderful and encouraging comments some readers have left.</p><p>It is the first part of a series, however the "true" first year will be the second part.</p><p>Like I said before this story is crack-ish, so read at your own risk or skip right to the second work in the series, as it is not necessary to have read "The Original" to understand what it going on in "Domus Unitas".</p>
            </blockquote>





	1. First Meeting

**Author's Note:**

> Harry Potter belongs to J.K.Rowling. So this is a non-profit work based on my musings on her wonderful books.  
> I will sometimes quote directly from the US-American edition of the first Harry Potter book and will mark them accordingly.  
> As I was not born yet in the 90s I have pulled the plot forward in time, so now 1st year starts in 2011, 2nd year in 2012 and so on.  
> English is not my first language, so it is likely that there might be some grammatical errors in the text. Feel free to point them out.  
> I hope you enjoy the story.

_“This is Parseltongue”_

This is quoted from the book

_This is a flashback._

_Parseltongue in a flashback_ looksss like thisss _comprende?_

 

“I suppose we could take him to the zoo” said Aunt Petunia slowly “…and leave him in the car. …” “That car’s new, he’s not sitting in it alone. …”

And for the better or the worse, Harry Potter was standing in the reptile house of the zoo. To be precise, he stood in front of a Boa Constrictor. A Boa Constrictor that seemed to be quite a conversationalist if Harry could trust his own meagre experiences in actually having a conversation instead of getting barked at and ordered around. For a brief moment he entertained the thought of taking the snake home to have at least someone to talk to, but then he realized, that there was a thick pane of glass between them, so he dismissed the thought.

“Ah… excuse me?” Harry whirled around. There stood a girl with rose gold hair and skin the colour of chai latte (he had seen that when his Aunt had this obsession with (fake) oriental food when his Uncle had tried to land a deal with an Indian client, it had stopped after the client had declined but the chai latte colour had somehow stuck with him and it described the skin tone of the girl perfectly). She held herself upright and while eyes like molten gold seemed to look right into his soul. She probably was the same age as him, but was even smaller than he was, quite a feat in itself. He only realized that he had stared at her, when she started chuckling.

“I-I-I I am so sorry. I did not mean to stare it was just so…” He was at a loss for words.

“It is quite alright, after all it was me who surprised you. Anyway, where are my manners? My name is Aliciel Blai- … I mean I am Aliciel Delphino.” She offered her hand and he did not hesitate to shake it. Weird. He normally had problems touching other people, the years with the Dursleys had ensured that.

“I’m Harry, Harry Potter.” Her eyes seemed to widen for a second, then – for an even shorter time – flicker to his forehead.

“Well, Mister Potter. How come that you are a Parselmouth? It is after all an ability only shared by the descendants of Salazar Slytherin? And the last time I checked, the Potters were of the Gryffindor line.”

Harry was flabbergasted. “I am a what? My parents where what? And… who are Salazar Slytherin and Gryffindor?”

“You are a Parselmouth. Someone who can talk to snakes. _Isn’t that right, Mrs. Boa constrictor_?”

_“Exsssssactly. You are a Sssspeaker young nesssstling.”_

“Okay, but who are Salazar Slytherin and Gryffindor? And what has that to do with my parents? My aunt told me they were drunkards who died in a car crash.”

“I will answer your questions Mr. Potter but first let me ask you a question: What do you know about the Wizarding world?”

“The what?”

“DUDLEY! MR. DURSLEY! COME ON LOOK AT THIS SNAKE! YOU WON’T BELIEVE WHAT IT’S DOING!”

Domus Unitas

Harry lay in his cupboard much later, wishing he had a watch. Or a snake to talk to. Dudley had pushed him out of the way and when the glass had vanished the panicking people had dragged both Aliciel and the Boa with them. In retrospect it probably was for the better. If you looked at it in the “Dursley Way”. Aliciel had seemed like a total nutcase, spouting about wizards, people who talked to snakes and descandants.

It was the late afternoon on the next day. The Dursleys had let him out to do some gardening and weeding in the back yard. Dudley and Piers were out and Vernon was at work. His Aunt had to go grocery shopping and had let him reluctantly out of the cupboard, so that he at least was doing “something useful”. Well, it could have been worse. Without the Dursleys in the house he could snatch some sweets from the kitchen and maybe watch a bit TV. All these thought flew out of the window, when he saw a white bird sink gently towards him. Only that it was no ordinary bird. It was made of some sort of paper, parchment if he remembered correctly. He carefully stretched out his hand to catch it and upon his touch it unfolded itself to become a letter which read:

Dear Mister Potter,

I am extremely sorry about yesterday.

Had I known that you did not know about magic I would have restrained myself from talking to you. However there is no need to cry over spilled potion. My morals do not allow me to let this matter pass either.First of all you should know Mr. Potter, that there is a magical community in Britain as there is one in almost every other country in this world. The inhabitants of said communities are called wizards or witches. There are also many different magical creatures. You are one of these wizards. Your parents were also wizards. Your mother was a muggleborn witch that means she is a witch that was born to two muggle parents (muggles is the common wizarding term for non-magical people). Your father was a Pureblood, a wizard that has a long ancestry consisting only of wizards and witches. His family, the Potters, were – and will be again, once you inherit – one of the oldest and most influential families of our world. They did not die in a car crash. They died by the hand of a Dark Lord, a magician that uses dark magic. This wizard had killed and has ordered to kill many people and thus tainted the image of dark magic. Now here is the interesting part: When he tried to kill you he failed. The curse most likely rebounded and hit him. You lived and got away with a scar. That is why you are famous. Because you are the Vanquisher of Lord Voldemort (who was so terrifying that many people still refuse to say that name), because you are the Boy-Who-Lived. If you furthermore have any doubts about you being magical, please keep in mind: many young wizards experience accidental magic. And are there not many incidents in your past, where unexplainable things happened when you were emotional? On a more concerning note I must admit that only a blind or naïve person would have overseen that you are malnourished and were most likely abused in the past. As I am neither, I wish to offer you a place in my home, if you want to escape your relative’s home, simply say: Quetzacoatl A portkey (a teleportation device if you know the muggle reference) laced into the parchment will activate and will take you and anything you have on you at the moment to my apartment in London. If you do not trust me to not have ulterior motives, I will find no offence in that. I would not trust me either. An Alternative would be the British boarding school for magical children, Hogwarts. You will most likely get your acceptance letter around your 11th birthday. The names I mentioned – Slytherin and Gryffindor – are two of the four founders of Hogwarts, magicians of great magnitude who are still revered in the International Wizarding Community. I do hope I could help you with your questions.

Aliciel Delphino

Harry knew he should not, as dismissive as the Dursleys had been, his teachers at school had told him about “Stranger Danger”. And Aliciel said vanquished, not killed. So there may be still people out there who followed Lord Voldemort and eagerly awaited his return. Aliciel could be one of them. For all he knew there was some magical gimmick that could alter your appearance. But… she had written him that letter instead of following him home and attacking him here. She also seemed willing to help that was shown by the mere existence of the letter.

He also remembered that she had almost introduce herself by another name. That meant she was not who she pretended to be. So either a follower of Voldemort or someone who was famous and did not want to get stared at. The magical community seemed small enough that everyone knew everyone. And your family name mattered, Aliciel had said so herself. But the name Aliciel was not common, he actually doubted that there was anyone else by that name. So Aliciel’s fame came not from her person but from her family name. One way or another, she was already famous which meant that he could rule out the possibility that she wanted to use him to become famous, right? But if she was a follower of Voldemort… Well, she must have known where he was to have sent him the letter, why wait until he was in her flat? Murdering a famous person in your flat was always followed by consequences, wasn’t it? And if she gave him a way to escape the Dursleys forever instead of just over the school year. Maybe Aliciel had even contacts so he could get in touch with some friends of his parents… friends that maybe would be willing to take him in.

The pros outweighed the cons. By far. He tried to think of anything that he wanted to take with him. Nothing came to mind. So he held onto the parchment and said “Quetzacoatl”. The sensation of having a hook suddenly pulled forward behind your navel was not pleasant. At all. He cursed Aliciel who had not warned him. The world span around him for seconds, minutes, hours, at least it seemed that way. And then as sudden as it began it was over. With a crashing sound he stumbled into a five feet tall vase that promptly fell over and crashed. He himself fell onto a soft blue and gold Persian carpet. And then there was nothing.

Domus Unitas

He came to when a soft gentle hand caressed his cheek. “Aliciel?” he asked. “I am here Harry.” She was soft spoken and made a point to use polite language.

“Where am I?” he asked.

“You are in London, 32 London Bridge Street, otherwise known as the Shard, on the hidden 74th floor apartment in the living room on the ancient flying Persian Carpet.”

“There is such a thing as a flying carpet? And thanks for the very detailed explanation of where we are.”

“Yes flying carpets exist, and I am afraid you will have to get used to getting detailed answers where your current position is concerned. Wizards like to be detailed about that.”

While they talked, Aliciel had helped him up and offered him a seat on an old brown vintage sofa and had afterwards seated herself into an armchair of the same kind. The leather both seats were made of most likely had been mocha brown when they had been made, however over the years, the edges had turned lighter until they had reached a shade of golden brown that matched the carpet. It was obivios to Harry that Aliciel most likely spend most of the time in the old Victorian armchair, considering the way she eased into it and the many books strewn into its near vicinity.

“Why did you decide to come? I know your … guardians were most likely the sort of muggle that despised magic. But I also told you, that there would be another option to escape them soon enough. What made you so desperate (?) to follow my invitation, I could be anyone, I could be a Death Eater for all you know – a Death Eater is a follower of Lord Voldemort – why did you trust me?”

“Ahh…” Her unwavering, inquisitive eyes made him quite nervous. And they made Harry want to tell the truth. “I actually thought of that. But then, you knew my position, as the letter was delivered and even if you did not before, you could have just followed the letter. So you knew where I was and did not attack me. And killing me in your flat would have not made any sense…” “What if I had lied and the Portkey would not have taken you to my flat but somewhere else?”

“I actually had not thought of that… But well you already had enough opportunities to kill me and whilst I thought it was nice, that I could leave the Dursleys for the school year, I thought it would be even better if I never had to go back there. And I kinda figured out that your family had connections so I thought maybe you could help me find some of my parents’ friends who would adopt me, if you can do that in the wizarding world…”

“You can.” She made a little pause as if she was considering her next sentence. “How about we go to Gringotts – the wizarding bank – tomorrow and check your parents’ will? And while we are at it, we could also buy some books about wizarding customs, I was not raised in Britain and you were raised by muggles. So we both need a lesson or two in local manners … and you need a make-over. While I am all for testing out new styles, I do believe walking around in your cousin’s cast-offs is not what one would call a style.”

“Wooh, wooh wooh, that’s very nice of you and all that, but I won’t have the money to pay you back!” Aliciel send him an incredulous look. When she regained control of her facial expression, she put both hands on Harry’s shoulders and said in a dead serious voice: “I told you your family was old and influential. In other words: they are probably one of the richest families in our world. You could live a century long life in dissipating in luxury and it would barely leave a dent in your trust vault alone.”

“My trust vault?”

“The bank account you withdraw money from until you are of age, which is seventeen in the Wizarding World. It holds only a minimal amount of your money. Once you are of age you will be allowed to use magic outside of the school. You can also become an emancipated minor, however I would not recommend that, as it would put the responsibility of your inheritance on you as well.”

“What kind of responsibilities?”

“Well you would for one become a member of the Wizengamot, our government, and you would have to take care of social connections and so on. As long as you are a minor your assets are frozen and properties will be sealed in a kind of time bubble, so that nobody can interfere with them.”

“Who would want that?” Golden eyes looked at Harry with something akin to pity, then sadness. Aliciel always was so jaded and sarcastic. It made him wonder what happened to her. “I am sorry. I did not mean to sound naïve. I am aware that most adults do not have my best interest at heart. I really wanted to know, who would have an interest in stealing from an important family that would make him an outcast immediately, wouldn’t it?”

Aliciel seemed to be musing. “You are right. I did not mean to belittle you either. It is just the type of family I am from. We are not cold to each other but we, more often than not, take the teasing too far. And outside of my family I only know to expect the worst from individuals.”

“Oh… okay.” When Harry wanted to form his next question his stomach emitted a low grumble. He blushed beet red. “Sorry…”

“It is quite alright, you most likely did not have anything to eat since yesterday, did you?” His blush grew, if that was even possible, a shade deeper. “There is no need to be ashamed. It is not your fault. If anyone is to blame it would be your so called relatives. But, worry not, my friend, we shall have a meal ready in a minute.”

She then stood up and almost danced through the huge living room, past a spiral staircase - whose old wooden steps seemed to float on their own – that led to a balcony above the living room and joined kitchen. From his position on the couch Harry could make out five doors which most likely led to other rooms. Looking around the vast living room he found, that three walls were taken up by windows. The last wall was opposite of the sitting area, where he was currently at. It hosted the kitchen, a door that most likely led to a bathroom and the apartment entrance. The wall was dominated by a large notice board which was covered in notes and pictures. Between the board and the elevator door was an ebony wardrobe that looked like the gateway to Narnia. Unfortunately, its dignity was destroyed by a large, green and silver tartan umbrella. On the other side of the bulletin board was the door to the bathroom. Next to the door hang two silver daggers beneath an empty portrait. The wall itself was a chocolate brown and continued after the corner into the kitchen. The kitchen filled about a third of this side of the room, the other two being occupied by the wall.

The floor of the apartment looked as old as the rest of the furniture and had a similar shade of wooden ebony brown. However most of the parquet was covered by thick, soft ancient carpets, much like the one he was sitting on. The only places that were not covered with rugs were the kitchen and the corner opposite to the elevator - the one between the sitting area and the kitchen – where a black, sleek grand piano stood.

The staircase was positioned a bit in front of the entrance, so that you could comfortably come in, as well as exit. Between kitchen and the piano was the mahogany dining table, a big sturdy thing that most likely would survive a nuclear explosion. It somehow fit into the apartment although it seemed too rustic on its own. The centre of the room was an ivory pillar that held a broad fireplace and many bookshelves carved into it. You could access the shelves via a movable ladder that went around the pillar on rolls.

Aliciel came over with many steaming bowls floating beside her. When she came closer Harry could see that the bowls held different kinds of curry, rice and a type of Indian bread. Once she was close enough she carefully directed the bowls to land softly on the coffee table between the sofa and armchair. “I thought it would be more comfortable if we ate here instead of the dining table. Is that alright with you?”

“Sure. But I wonder… didn’t you say that magic outside of the school was forbidden for minors?”

“Theoretically yes, but there are some… loopholes. But there is a technicality: You have not been to Hogwarts yet, meaning that – technically – you could not know that you were not allowed to use magic outside the school grounds. There are other reasons as well: For one they can only track magic by tracking your wand. So if you use wandless magic or elemental magic you will not be found. Secondly this is a magical residence, it is heavily warded and the Ministry can only guess what is going on here.”

“And you can use wandless magic? It sounds … advanced…”

“Oh wandless magic is headache to learn, that is if you have used a wand before. A wand is only an instrument to channel your magical energy which originated from your magical core. Most grown up wizards are so used to have a wand to focus their magic that they cannot cast without it. However if you are unused to these restraints you will find that wandless magic comes as easy as breathing.”

“Oh, wow. Can you teach me as well? And… how did you get a meal done so fast, are there any cooking spells? Does that mean you clean the house magically too? And… are the vines on that carpet moving? Are there any magical plants? What about…”

“Calm down, Harry. Yes I can teach you. The vines on the carpet are moving as it is a flying carpet. And yes, there are such things as household spells and magical plants. However I did not use them and it was not I who created this delicious curry, but the house elves.”

“House elves?”

“Servant creatures. They are bound to a wizarding family. Many masters treat their elves rather harshly, curious as elves are magically more powerful than their masters.”

“Why are they the servants then and not the other way around?”

“They live to serve. And the contracts on an elf stop him from harming their master. The only way to break that contract is to give a house elf clothes.” They kept talking. Or rather Harry asked questions and Aliciel gave elaborate answers. Each new answer brought Harry to a new question. At some point Harry realized that Aliciel answered his questions however she left some things unexplained, what allowed him to ask new questions without feeling awkward. When the night had fallen Aliciel had told him all she knew about the pureblood families and the different magical schools, the Hogwarts houses (“It is interesting how diluted the school ideology has become. Gryffindor was once the house of chivalry, bravery and pranksters, as Godric himself was rather on the mischievous side. Nowadays it is the house of reckless morons and juvenile bullies that fancy themselves light wizards. Same with Hufflepuff: Once the home for the hardworking, kind hearted and loyal, now the laughingstock of the entire school. Even Ravenclaw is not what it once was, Rowena wanted to help smart wizards and witches to reach their full potential, now the ravens are known as shy bookworms. And don’t get me started on Slytherin. It is embarrassing how the house of the cunning and ambitious has become a playground for wannabe dark lords and pureblood supremacists who would not notice a cunning scheme if it bit their backside. Merlin, when will they understand that the houses are not there to allow you to be who you are but to help you become who you want to be!”), blood politics (“Stupid, moronic, brainless. The ICW is well aware that muggleborns are needed to keep the world going. We need “fresh blood” otherwise our downfall will be the so-called “pure blood”. Look at the old families: The Blacks are mostly insane, the Lestranges are completely insane, the Crabbes, Goyles, Averys and Fudges are growing magically weaker each generation and most other houses have become poor or extinct and those who haven’t yet only produce one heir who most of the time is a pampered brat without any redeeming quality. The only ones who did it right were the Potters, the Browns, the Patils and the Longbottoms. Instead of intermarrying cousins, they brought muggleborns and magical creatures into their family.”), dark and light magic and how through many generations simple tendencies (“Whether you are dark or light is like whether you are left or right handed”) had become associated with ideologies. Soon, two things became clear to Harry: One, Aliciel grew up in a political household and second he did not like either ideology, however many people will want him to become figurehead of the light. When night fell Harry’s eyes started to become itchy from tiredness and soon enough he fell sideways onto the couch. Aliciel also fell asleep in the middle of her explanation (something about how curry was superior to stew (see that’s what overfatigue does to you, you start arguing the most unreasonable things)) and sunk even deeper into her armchair.

The fireplace had long but burned down so only he lights of the city far below lightened the room. Two house elves popped into the sitting area: “What is you thinking, Tonker?” said one of them.

“I think Miss Aliciel is enjoying herself and the boy needs our help.”

“You is thinking something more, you isn’t telling Creamy.”

“Sì. I sense something about the boy.”

“You isn’t liking the boy.”

“I don’t like what is within him.”

“Should we tells Missus about this?”

“I think she already knows, or senses it at least. But for now we let them sleep. Take the boy to the guest room and bring a blanket for milady. I will take care of the dishes.”

Domus Unitas

When Harry woke up he was cuddled into a soft, warm bed instead of the chilly cupboard. Events from yesterday flickered back into his head. Strange, he could not remember to have gone to a room. And what a room it was. The eastern wall was made of glass, allowing the morning sun to light the room in a diffuse golden light, as the morning dew had not completely vanished yet. The room itself was white, a fluffy carpet and white plastered walls. He himself laid on a canopy bed made of a cubical teak wood frame with white linen blankets and curtains that was situated on the southern wall of the room. On the wall opposite of him stood a simple desk and a similarly simple bookshelf, both made of teak. On the western wall was a wardrobe with white shiny sliding doors that were held by a silver frame. The room gave off a feeling of simple modernity and comfort. Nothing over the top, yet homely. It seemed to have been made for him.

Slowly and reluctantly Harry crawled out of bed. He still wore the shirt from yesterday but his trousers had been taken off and hung over the chair by the desk. He put them on and wanted to make his way to the bathroom when suddenly a small creature dressed in a pillowcase appeared before him. Startled he jumped back.

“Master Harry must not be worried, sir. Creamy is just checking here to assist.” Ah. That must be one of the house elves Aliciel talked about.

“Is Master Harry wishing for anything, sir?”

“Erm…could you please tell me where the bath room is… and does Aliciel have any plans for today that I should be aware about? I do not wish to interfere with them by taking too much of her time.”

“Master Harry is plans for today, sir. Missus wanted me to wake you up, so that you cans have breakfast. Missus wanted to go early, so that sir and missus won’ts be disturbed.” Harry was confused for a moment. Ah. Right. He was famous. That thought still had not settled in.

“Thank you, Creamy.” The little creature blushed raspberry pink and vanished with a plop.

For the first time in his life Harry could take as long as he wanted in the bathroom and use hot water for showering as well. After having brushed his teeth, he searched around for his glasses though he was unable to find them. Then he remembered what Aliciel said last night: “Wandless magic comes as easy as breathing, if you have never used a wand before.”

Harry closed his eyes. He remembered the incidents of accidental magic. It had always happened when he was emotional or when he really wanted something. He focused on the last one. He really wanted his glasses. He wanted them to float from wherever they were onto his nose. He really really wanted this. Then he felt the familiar sensation of glasses sliding into place. He opened his eyes again. There they were. Right on his nose. How utterly awesome was that? A grin stole its way onto his face. It was going to be a great day, he was sure of it.

He was not disappointed. After an Italian breakfast (Aliciel had hinted that she grew up in that country) with coffee ("Espresso!" came the idignant answer when he called her beverage "a mere coffee") for Aliciel and hot cocoa for him (a muggle drink Aliciel seemed to have a penchant for and since the Dursleys never let him have it she asked Tonker and Creamy to prepare the best hot chocolate in the world for him), they had taken a violet triple-decker bus – which Aliciel called “The Knight Bus” – to the Leaky Cauldron in Sharing Cross Road. They arrived at around 9 am and luckily – according to Aliciel – the many regulars of the pub had yet to arrive.

Both pre-teens walked around Diagon Alley, Aliciel pointed out shops she knew and told him her shopping plans for the day. Soon they found themselves in front of a white marble building that stood out against the rest of the medieval alley. Before they entered Aliciel stopped him: “Harry, I will not tell you what to do however, here is a piece of advice: Gringotts is ran by goblins. They are very intelligent creatures and can be downright vicious when it comes to the gold they are requested to protect. However, many wizards treat them even worse than house elves, which is kind of short sighted if you think about it. Many laws have been passed to subdue goblins and other magical creatures, stripping them of their rights. My point is: Make a difference, treat them with respect. You are a very prominent figure and many people will follow your example.” Harry nodded.

“Aliciel?” The girl hummed in response. “How are you able to see through this web of politics?”

“It is the way I was raised. To achieve my goals without resorting to violence or letting my enemies know my ambitions or only let them realize my endgame when it is too late for them to do anything.”

“That sounds like a very Slytherin way of thinking…and you are Parselmouth…all Parselmouths except for me are descendants of Salazar himself…Aliciel are you…” He was stopped short by a thin, graceful finger against his lips.

“Not here. Later. When we are in the bank, okay?” Harry nodded.

Domus Unitas

“Mr. Potter, we have tried to contact you for several years, our letters were always returned, how com that you have taken an interest in your accounts only now?” the Potter Vault Manager, a goblin named Steelclaw, looked at Harry suspiciously.

“Good day to you Steelclaw, may your gold always flow and your tunnels be painted with the blood of your enemies. I have not received any letters, so Ms. Delphino and I have come to the conclusion that they must have been intercepted, probably by the same person who placed me with my muggle relatives.” Harry said unfazed. Aliciel had warned him of this possibility and had together come up with a response to it.

“Good day and the same to you as well Mr. Potter and Ms. Delphino. I was not aware that our post had been intercepted. I believe I already have a suspicion on who the suspect could be. Anyways, welcome to Gringotts, what business do you have today?”

“I would like to make an inheritance test as well as a health check. Furthermore I wish to know of the state of my accounts and property as well as the content of my parents’ last will.” “Very well. While we wait for the blood and health tests and your parents’ testimony, we should talk about your finances.”

Ten minutes later brought a baffled Harry, a murderous Steelclaw and a livid Aliciel. “If I get my hands on whoever is responsible for this, I will make them wish they had never been born.”

“I am afraid you will have to beat me to it first, Ms. Delphino. This is outrageous. Paying muggles – muggles! – to abuse a wizarding child.”

“How about we work together Messrs Steelclaw, I believe it would be a beneficial alliance for the both of us.”

A vindictive smile crossed the goblin’s features. “Indeed, Ms Delphino, indeed.”

Harry was still stumped to own that much money. “Steelclaw, Aliciel, it is alright. I still have more money than I can imagine and, if I am lucky, I will never have to see the Dursleys again.” He tried a smile only to falter at the surprised look on the goblin’s face.

“Mr. Potter. The moment you have stepped into this bank, you have become a client of Gringotts. The moment you addressed a mere guard as an equal you have become a friend of the goblin nation. A goblin accomplice and a wizard, who are yet to be identified, have taken your money and used it to harm you. This act made them enemies of the goblin nation. This is why we cannot let this wash over.”

Harry murmured an embarrassed apology. “If this is such a grave matter, shouldn’t we contact the wizarding police or something?”

Steelclaw looked at him thoughtfully. “In that case we should let you claim your title as Lord Potter and contact Madam Bones from the Department of Magical Law Enforcement. She is known to be incorruptible.”

“But first your blood test and your parents’ wills. To activate the test we will need five drops of blood from each of you, as Ms. Delphino wanted to do a test as well. While we wait for their results we will address Lord and Lady Potter’s wills.”

After both children had added their blood to the blood test parchments, Steelclaw waved over to light globes from a shelf. He put the first one on a crystal stele and it began to project the image of a more handsome, hazel eyed, grown up version of Harry.

“Well then.” The image said, “This is the last will of Lord James Charlus Potter. I hereby state that I am of clear mind and free will. Should my wife have outlived me I send her my warmest regards. Our son is to go to her and his godfather Sirius Black. Should my wife and I have died together Harry is to go to Sirius Black – who was not our Secret Keeper, Peter Pettigrew was – and Remus Lupin with the advice to finally get their acts together and make out already. If neither of them are available Harry is to go to the Longbottoms. In that case all my belongings go to Harry and are to be sealed off until he comes of age or is emancipated.”

The orb stopped projecting the image and Steelclaw switched them out. A young redheaded woman appeared, her green eyes looking exactly like Harry’s. “This is the last will of Lady Lily Potter nee Evans. My mind is clear and I am not being forced to say this. Should my husband have outlived me, our son is to go to him and his godfather. Should we have died together Harry will go to the following people in exact that order: Sirius Black and Remus Lupin, the Longbottom family or the Tonks family. Under no circumstances is Harry to be placed with the Dursleys. Sirius Black was not our Secret Keeper, Peter Pettigrew was. All my belongings are to go to Harry.”

Harry’s eyes started glistening with unshed tears. So that was what his parents had looked like. And he should have never ended up with the Dursleys. He ought to have lived with a person named Sirius Black. But what was a Secret Keeper?

When he asked, Aliciel answered: “A Secret Keeper is the person who carries the position of a building under the Fidelius Charm within their soul. Only the Secret Keeper can share the location. It is considered the greatest of betrayals to sell someone who hides under a Fidelius out.”

Harry knew he should feel angry. He only felt hollow. Their friend had sold his parents out to Lord Voldemort. He shook his head. One day, one day he would get his revenge. He swore that oath to himself and to his parents.

“Well, with this we have enough evidence to get Sirius Black out of jail. For now we should contact Remus Lupin, who has gone into hiding after Lord and Lady Potter’s deaths. However I am obligated to warn you Mr. Potter: He is a werewolf.” Steelclaw stated with a solemn look on his face.

“So what?” was Harry’s first reaction. “I know that there is a potion that allows him to stay sane during his transformation and I seem to have enough money to afford it for him. I do not exactly care what the government may say, but I doubt the wolf will pose any threat.”

The ghost of a smile danced around Steelclaw’s lips. How interesting the Potter heir turned out to be. A soft noise of paper against paper, signalled the completion of the blood tests. Carefully Steelclaw lifted the boy’s parchment and read aloud:

“Inheritance and Health of Harry James Potter, born on July 31st 2000

Paternal side:

Lord Potter

Lord Peverell

Lord Gryffindor

Elemental magic: Fire (Gryffindor line)

Maternal side:

Gift of fast self-healing

Blood adopted by Sirius Black thus heir presumptive of the most ancient and noble House of Black.

Health:

Block on the elemental magic

Block on the magical core

Horcrux in a scar on his forehead, allowing a mental connection to the main soul piece and the ability to speak Parseltongue

Several badly healed bones

Malnourishment

Bad eyesight caused by abuse

Magical core: Light

That is quite something, Lord Potter-Peverell-Gryffindor. As a friend of the goblin nation we can heal the bones and take care of the effects of malnourishment for free, if you desire it. For the Horcrux, well...”

“Could you extract the soul piece – that is what a Horcrux is, Harry - and give it to me?” came the question from Aliciel.

“Why would you have an interest in such a dark object, Ms Delphino?” asked Steelclaw in turn.

“I have a suspicion about whose Horcrux that may be and I believe if we collect all his soul pieces we may be able to give them their sanity back.”

“Are you implying that I have a piece of Voldemort in my head?” screeched Harry.

Both the goblin and his friend nodded. Friend. That stunted him. Where had that thought come from. Thinking about it, he realized that he had known Aliciel for less than three days and yet it felt as if he had known her all his life. And as she seemed to be so comfortable around him (while walking through the alley he had seen how strained Aliciel’s face had become when other people brushed by her, something she had not done with him), she probably felt the same way.

“Yes Lord Potter, however I do think Ms Delphino’s idea has a certain merit to it. Are you willing to not have the piece of your enemy destroyed?”

“Certainly. I simply wish to have him out of my head.”

“Very well, for the cleansing ritual all you have to do is to go next door and lay down on the stone altar. Our healers will attend to you soon. Before that however you might want to take a look at Ms Delphino’s blood test.” Without any further ado Steelclaw handed them a parchment and went to go to contact Madam Bones, but Aliciel stopped him. “Messrs Steelclaw, I know from my mother that Lord Voldemort was obsessed with the founders and the deathly hallows. I know he brought the stone into his possession and found the Diadem, the Cup and Slytherin’s locket. It could be that he turned them into Horcruxes. I know that I have no right to request that but would you be willing to look into the matter and extract the soul pieces?” The old goblin sighed. “I think you of all people have every right to ask that of me Ms Delphino. Just look at your test.”

Both juvenile magicians turned back to the paper and began to read:

Inheritance and Health of Aliciel Annabella Blaire-Delphino, born on October 31st 2000

Paternal side:

Merfolk (Siren)

Elemental magic: Water (Siren)

Oxygen Independency

Maternal side:

Heir apparent to the most ancient and most noble House of Blaire

Heir apparent to the legendary and most noble House of Slytherin

Parseltongue

Elemental Magic: Water (Slytherin line)

Health:

Block on soulmate marking

Magical core: Dark

Harry burst out: “There is such a thing as soulmates?!” at the same time as Aliciel screeched: “I am Heir apparent and not presumptive?” They both stared at each other.

“There is such a thing as soulmates. Magicals get the markings on their 15th birthday. As for mine being blocked… well, my father also has the gift of premonition, he knows when someone is in danger. He knew my mate could pose a threat to me, so he blocked it. I respect that decision. As for the heir business… I have three older brothers, so I always thought I was just a spare, but apparently the Blaire-Line is matriarchal instead of patriarchal. Lucky for me I guess…”

Domus Unitas

Feeling oddly refreshed Harry left the healing room. He had no longer any need for glasses, he had grown quite a bit and his limps had become lithe instead of deadly thin. His shoulders had broadened and his hair was no longer out of control but stylishly messy. He felt the magic pulsing through his veins and knew that he only needed to snap his fingers to light a fire.

When he and Aliciel stepped out of the bank it was already noon. “How about we head to the ice cream parlour we have seen on our way here? You could tell me a bit more about this Horcrux business and about Salazar Slytherin, as well as these… Deathly Hallows thingies.” “Indeed, however I think it would be better to postpone the stories of the Deathly Hallows until tonight, you will understand once I finished their story. Now that you have your money and your lordship you will also need to purchase proper clothing. And we should start your tutoring soon. By the way, Steelclaw informed me that Madam Bones has situated the trial for Sirius Black for tomorrow, so we might as well be there. It would also be a good chance to introduce you to the Wizengamot.”

“Wow that is quite a lot coming up. Especially when I have yet to wrap my head around the fact that I am powerful, rich and famous.”

“Well luckily you’ve got me at your side to guide you damsel in distress through this confusing new world.” Harry snorted. Both were laughing happily as they went down Diagon Alley not even once considering that far farther north there was a professor angrily staring at his instruments that he used to keep watch over the Potter Heir. They had exploded once the restraints on the boy’s magical core had been lifted. When the Dursleys had contacted him about their missing nephew he did not expect Harry to have been picked up by another wizard and he doubted that the boy made his way to Diagon Alley alone.

But all that did not matter to one Harry Potter right now the world was beautiful and tomorrow promised what he had always wished for: A family. For this moment everything was perfect. And the future told of many more perfect moments to come.

TBC


	2. In which Aliciel is discovered to be a fashionista

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> The shopping trip. We meet the Zabinis, Daphne and Millicent.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> The chapter is cut a bit short, due to me wanting to update on time.  
> The next chapter will contain the second half of this one and will hopefully be released a bit earlier.  
> Please let me reiterrate: Review, comment and leave kudos as you see fit as long as you do not make inappropiate remarks about my work.  
> And sorry about the changes. This is my first work on AO3, so I am not yet familiar with the ins and outs of the tools.  
> Enjoy the Chapter.

Harry stood on a stool. It had been at least one and a half hour since the Slytherin heir had dragged him into the store called “Madam Malkin’s Robes for all occasions.” Madam Malkin was a witch in her mid-forties and she seemed all too willing to follow Aliciel’s ridiculous demands about his robes. He stopped listening half way through. Occasionally he still heard such things as: “Self-cleaning charms”, “hidden pockets” or “grow with the person wearing them” as well as resistance against many things that Harry had never heard of. Soon enough he might as well had been sleeping while standing. So boring.

When he surfaced from his boredom induced trance, Aliciel had managed to buy five pairs of school robes, the same amount of casual robes and two dress robes, as well as two pairs dragon hide leather boots, several dress shirts and so on. In short: while he had not been paying attention his friend had the seamstresses make an entire wardrobe for him.

Whilst Madam Malkin packed all purchased into several large paper bags, Aliciel had picked a light denim blue casual robe for him that reminded him of a muggle jeans jacket. It had rather tight sleeves and was left unbuttoned. With it went a white linen shirt, taupe shorts and roman leather sandals. “Change, this looks casual enough to not attract any unwanted attention.” Aliciel herself had changed from olive green hoodie and silvery skinny jeans into a white knee length roman tunic, which was held on her shoulders by silver brooches and jade linen robes that had no sleeves at all, thus resembling a Mexican poncho with a hood. Like him she wore roman leather sandals.

“Well, now that we both look adequately dressed and not like something the cat dragged in, we should hurry along to Flourish and Blotts. Creamy and Tonker have taken our purchased items from Madam Malkin and are by now most likely preparing dinner and packing your wardrobe. We will return later to Malkin’s to get the specially ordered robes.”

“Wow. They are like maids, errand boys, chefs and nannies mixed into one.”

“Yup, they are the most helpful creatures in existence. And if you treat your elves right, you will have a life-long friend in them.”

“Do you know if my family had any elves?”

“Most likely… we should add “checking out your properties” to our list of things to do before the year starts.”

“Ah…that makes it seven things on this list:

1\. Wizarding customs and manners

2\. School supplies and catching up with the curriculum

3\. Freeing my godfather from prison

4\. Going back to Gringotts tomorrow to claim the signet rings of my family.

5\. Wandless and Elemental magic – blimey what would happen if I set someone on fire?

And last but not least: ice cream!”

“Well, at least that one is easily accomplished, Florean Fortescue’s Ice Cream Parlour is just over there.”

“How is it that you know this place so well? I thought you grew up in Italy?” Harry asked, while they ordered their ice cream (Apple Crumble and Pumpkin Juice for him, Pear and Cinnamon for Aliciel)

“Well that is because her mother took us shopping here many times.” Said an unknown girl voice behind them. Harry whirled around, Aliciel stopped and stared. He watched her worriedly, when she began to bite her lip. Harry turned to the two girls behind them again. One was fair skinned with golden hair and pine green eyes, who looked as frail as a china doll. The other – the one who had spoken – looked tough and – for a young girl – surprisingly strict. She had dark brown hair and the same fair skin as the blonde. She would have looked evil had it not been for the warm shine in her chocolate eyes. Whilst the blonde seemed to be easily blown away, the brunette was… sturdy, to put it nice.

“Come on Bella, you know you want to.” Teased the blonde. Harry turned back to the still quivering Aliciel. These girls must know her pretty well if they knew her middle name. Any possible thought was interrupted when Aliciel gave up her self-restraint and squeaked: “Daphneeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeee!” whilst almost tackling the blonde to the ground. The brunet snorted. Then turned to Harry who looked stumped at the hugging blondes who started dancing around each other, whilst chanting each other’s names.

“Seems that you just ruined another young man’s image of a well cultured lady, Bella, Daphne.”

“Shut up, Millie. One is allowed to hug their bestest friend in the world.” muttered both blondes at the same time whilst hugging each other protectively and stretching their tongues out simultaneously.

“You are both going to end up Hufflepuff if you continue spouting on about love and friendship.”

“Well, I already told you: Hogwarts is there to help you become the person you want to be. And even we end up in Hufflepuff, we will just make Hufflepuff the greatest of the Hogwarts houses.” Aliciel snapped back.

“Yes, indeed. And once we will rule over the school we will put every death eater child into Hufflepuff, so that Voldemort will lose interest in them.” chirped Daphne.

“Spoken like a true Slytherin!” praised the brunet before turning to Harry: “Now then, I am afraid we have failed to introduce us. I am Millicent Bulstrode and the blonde chick who currently hugged to death by Aliciel is Daphne Greengrass.”

Domus Unitas

“So you are saying that you are now not only some heir of Slytherin but the heir apparent! That is positively wicked!” exclaimed Millicent “call me Millie dammit”. After the rather hilarious introduction and the following mayhem caused by the two blondes, they had settled down in front of the parlour as it was the beginning of summer and the sun warmed the cobblestone pavement of the alley. After Aliciel had shared their information with Millicent and Daphne, she had proceeded to explain the concept of Horcruxes to the group. That had left them shivering although it was such a warm day. Harry soon came to know how determined and cunning Slytherins really could be. All three girls had started plotting about how they could get their hand on Horcruxes and meanwhile take over the school. It had left him feeling left out.

“WHAAAAAT?” Millie’s screech interrupted his thoughts. “Aliciel, are you mad? How stupide can you get?” Many heads turned. Apparently it was rather uncommon for young pureblood witches to lose control like that. Not that Harry was surprised.

“Listen Millie, I think it could be useful in the future, the grown-ups may or may not like to see it but Voldemort will be back.”

“I do not care whether You-know-who will come back or not! You will stay away from those soul pieces! That’s seriously dark magic. You may have the potential to have a lot of power and you may have the potential to handle them once you have matured a bit, however you will not come even close to those things. Who knows what they can do! Don’t you get it? Those… abominations are or at least have been part of Lord Voldemort. And you”, Millicent reeled around to look at Harry, “You make sure, this nutcase doesn’t fall to her hubris and ensure that she doesn’t touch the Horcruxes until she has at least passed her OWLs and with flying colours, am I understood?”

“Y-Ye-Yes, ma’am.” He stuttered.

Domus Unitas

Soon after Millicent’s escapade at the Ice Cream Parlour, both Daphne and Millie had realized, that their parents were waiting for them in the Leaky Cauldron. What had followed was another hilarious scene with Daphne and Aliciel, which had reached new peaks in ridiculousness when Daphne had tricked Aliciel into a magic oath that stated that she was not allowed to try anything on Horcruxes until she was at least fifteen. Aliciel had then explained that they did not know how many Horcruxes were out there, so it could be that she unknowingly interacted with one. Daphne had grinned at that. Instead of releasing Aliciel from the oath – like the girl had planned it out – she simply added a paragraph to the oath that stated that Aliciel was allowed to be in possession of a soul piece as long as she did not realized it was one and had not have a chance to take it Gringotts. Millicent had found their banter to be rather entertaining, Harry treated it as a “Watch-and-learn” experience, which would hopefully help him see through Aliciel’s scheming mind. But still he also found it rather hilarious to see the oh so proper heiress reduced to a begging little girl.

He still had to giggle when he thought about it. “Come off of it, Potter. It was not that amusing.”

Harry grinned, it seemed as if Aliciel let her polite mask slip when she was sulking. “I think it was. The Heir of Slytherin failing at scheming? That is more than amusing at any time. And it’s even better since I know that Daphne did it for your own good. Anyways the whole scene showed that you are not necessarily as Slytherin as you would like to be.” The blond began pouting. Thanks to his growth spurt she was now about one and a half head smaller and looked simply adorable when pouting.

“As I explained before. Hogwarts is there to help us…”

“…become who we want to be. I know. I know. Which is why I want to get into Gryffindor. I want to become someone brave and reliable and if I get the added bonus of being perceived as chivalrous I will not complain. And I know that I can be rather reckless, I mean, I did accpet your invitation, didn't I?. So I do not think that Ravenclaw or Slytherin would be very helpful to me.” His blond friend looked at him surprised. “If you say it that way…I think you would have a chance to bring Gryffindor back to its former glory.” Harry laughed. It was certainly strange how much Aliciel resembled an adult in ways of talking and thinking. He had seen how much that façade had faded away when she had been talking to her childhood friends. He knew that Aliciel was comfortable around him but not completely relaxed. He just hoped that one day she would count him as a friend as well.

Domus Unitas

When Harry and Aliciel had purchased all their books and supplies for potions – Aliciel had insisted that they should try to make simple ones – the sun was about to set, tinging the sky crimson and orange. “We should hurry. Madam Malkin’s will close in about half an hour.” Most of the stores were closing already when they arrived back at the boutique. Hurriedly Aliciel went to the counter and asked for their order, leaving Harry to stand around and feeling quite useless. His expression must have told Aliciel so, because upon her return she stated: “No need to feel so defeated Harry. I am sure you will be able to be independent from any chaperone within a month. I mean, just look how far you have already come: You do not slump anymore, can see without your glasses and have accepted the wizarding world in many ways already, give yourself some time.”

“Wow that was the most Hufflepuff speech I have ever heard you give, Blaire.” came a teasing remark from yet another unidentified voice. For a moment Harry wondered how it was possible to have that many acquaintances when you are only eleven years old.

“Well, you never know, Blaise, Aliciel has many hidden depths.” Harry looked up. A Mediterranean beauty in her late thirties and a boy who had to be her son had entered the shop and joined them. He could hear Aliciel suppress a sigh. “Harry, may I introduce to you: Madame Zabini and her son Blaise Zabini. Madam, Blaise, this is Harry Potter, soon to be Lord Potter, Peverell and Gryffindor. He has been muggle raised so I am showing him our ways.” As he was standing close to her, only Harry could notice the well concealed shudder that went through the half siren.

Madame Zabini gave Harry a calculating look, soon dismissing him as uninteresting. Soon - but not soon enough - she sauntered away, pulling Blaise with her, who sent Aliciel an apologetic look over his shoulder. Soon enough he heard Aliciel’s whisper in his ear: “Blaise is alright. Well, as alright as you can be with that man eating hag of a mother. Just stay away from her.” Well. That was a rather informative encounter. He had learned that there were people arrogant like Madame Zabini everywhere. And that even magical marriage swindlers existed.

Domus Unitas

Luckily for them it was early summer so that they had been able to get home before sundown. Tonker and Creamy had treated them to an exquisite dinner. That and the fact that it had been a long day, left Harry in a content doze.

“Sleepy?”

A nod.

“Well then on to bed with you.”

“You promised to tell me of the Deathly Hallows.”, Harry insisted.

“Lucky for you, that tale is actually a bed time story, so for me to tell it you need to be in bed, don’t you?”

Harry slid under the comforter and Aliciel sat on the other side of the bed. Both wore pyjamas and the rose-blonde carried a worn book with her that was titled “The tales of Beedle the Bard”. Huh, so wizards had fairy tales as well. Any further thought left him when Aliciel started reading:

“The tale of the three brothers There were once three brothers who travelled along a lonely winding road. At twilight. In time the brothers reached a river to treacherous to pass. But being learned in the magical arts the three brother simply waved their wand and made a bridge. Before they could cross however, they found their path blocked by a hooded figure.

It was Death. And he felt cheated, cheated because travellers would normally drown in the river. But Death was cunning. He pretended to congratulate the brothers on their magic and said that each had earned a price for having been clever enough to evade him.

The oldest asked for a wand more powerful than any in existence. So Death fashioned him one from an elder tree that stood nearby.

The second brother decided that he wanted to humiliate Death even further and asked for the power to recall loved ones from the grave. So Death plucked a stone from the river and offered it to him. Finally, Death turned to the third brother, a humble man, he asked for something that would allow him to go forward from that place without being followed by Death. And so it was that Death reluctantly handed over a part of his own cloak of invisibility.

The first brother travelled to a distant village, where with the Elder Wand in hand he killed a wizard with whom he once he had once quarrelled. Drunk with the power that the Elder Wand had given him, he bragged of his invincibility. But that night another wizard stole the wand and slit the brother’s throat for good measure. And so Death took the first brother for his own.

The second brother journeyed to his home where he took the stone and turned it thrice in hand. To his delight the girl he had once hoped to marry before her untimely death appeared before him. Yet soon she turned sad and cold for she did not belong in the mortal world. Driven mad with hopeless longing the second brother killed himself so he could join her. And the Death took the second brother.

As for the third brother, Death searched for many years but was never able to find him. Only when he attained a great age, did the youngest brother shed the cloak of invisibility and gave it to his son. He then greeted Death as an old friend and went with him gladly to pass in this life. As equals”

TBC

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Well, it is another chapter! Yay!  
> Now here are some things that I wish to address:  
> 1\. I will make the goblins Harry's allies and I will ignore the part about them thinking of bought relics as rented. I also made a change that the four relics of the Founders were gifted to them instead of purchased by them. In short: Gryffindor's Sword belongs to Harry and Slytherin's locket to Aliciel. And the Hufflepuff Cup and the Ravenclaw Diadem to the heirs of their houses.  
> 2\. Do you want me to make Draco a good guy or a prat(?) until his father smuggles the Diary into the school and Narcissa has a word with him about blood politics. In short either right from-the-start!nice guy!Draco or prat-until-the-end-of-2nd-year!Draco. Just put your answers in a comment.  
> 3\. This will not become a Ginny bashing story, but I will not pair her with Harry.  
> 4\. I always thought of Daphne as a girl who was forced to become codl hearted by the looming threat of Voldemort, which is why she and Aliciel are so open with their emotions around their friends and each other.   
> 5\. I just realized that this story has much more female leads than male leads, so I am going to cut down on screen time for some of the Hufflepuff girls and I will turn Tracey Davis into a guy. This is not meant to be discriminating or anything it is just a step I take as a precaution so that this story stay enjoyable for all genders.  
> 6\. I am dying for comments. Pleaseeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeee give me comments  
> Until soon, Luca Crimson


	3. Magical binds, magical freeing of said binds and magical wands

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Hermione, Neville, McGonagall and Sirius  
> Warning: I just realized how traumatizing some scenes (Hermione's parents) could be for younger audiences. Hence the editing. The scene is a bit over the top. I will not change it, however I am going to make the story more canon after this very AU and OOC chapter.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> READ THE NOTES AT THE END

Harry sat once more in Steelclaw’s office. Over the curse of the last month he had become rather well acquainted with his account manager as well as with some other who worked in the tunnels and he got to meet the goblin king himself, since he was the one who managed the Founder’s vaults.

He also had gone through rigorous from both Aliciel and Blaise, who turned out to be a rather charming individual – Aliciel claimed that was due to his incubus blood, something Harry had not believed until Blaise had snuck into his dreams. That incident had caused Aliciel to add Occlumency to his schedule, something he did not appreciate. But after another Blaise induced dream he had accepted it as a necessity.

Luckily his lessons in decorum and wandless magic went rather well. Both he and Aliciel found themselves struggling when it came to controlling their elements. While Harry had no problem igniting fire – quite the opposite, he had a problem to not start any flames – he lost control easily. His sirenic friend had a similar problem: she had no trouble to manipulate or breath under water, however she had trouble to change back from water to air, as her lungs were filled with water once she resurfaced. She also lost control over her voice too easily, leaving many unsuspecting pedestrians in her wake trying to drown themselves.

They tried to train together but after the third incident of the condo nearly burning down, followed by a massive flood, Tonker and Creamy had prohibited them from ever using their magic inside the apartment again.

Harry had also laid claim to his Lordships, which gave him another magic boost, once the family magic accepted him. He had sorted out his properties – most of which were filled to the brim with ancient books and artefact and house elves who had been eagerly awaiting his return for ten years. Harry had been surprised how vicious the elves had reacted when he told them of the blocks and his living circumstances.

Summarized his month had been straining but exciting. The only thing that would really take a lot out of him emotionally was yet to come: The trial of Sirius Black, his estranged godfather.

He remembered meeting Madam Bones two weeks ago. The Head of the DMLE had put together the documented proof that Sirius Black had never had a trial. She had the will of his parents recorded and the Black signet ring sent to the imprisoned Head of House. Afterwards she tried to find a clause in some kind of law – Harry had not bothered to listen at that point, Aliciel’s water magicks (the blond had a habit to do that when she became bored) were much more interesting anyway – that would allow the legal use of veritaserum on Sirius Black. Right now they were waiting for a date when the trial could happen. Luckily Madam Bones had already managed to get Sirius out of Azkaban and into a Ministry holding cell. Harry went to meet him – without Aliciel, the blonde had told him that this was a private matter that she should not take any part in.

_Flashback_

_The Ministry officer at first had refused to let Harry pass, although he had made an appointment with Madam Bones. It was only month long training with Aliciel that made Harry refrain from either giving up or strangling the man with his own tie. Soon enough however the receptionist had managed to enervate him enough that he flashed his Lord Ring (just the Potter one, he did not need any more attention by letting the world know that he was the Heir of Gryffindor as well)._

_The man’s facial expression had been downright comical. It took ten seconds for him to realize that the “little boy” he had just belittled was the Potter Lord. When all the implications dawned on him – as in: the last living Potter, the one standing before him, was none other than the Boy-Who-Lived – he had jumped out of his stool – which fell over – stammered some gibberish, tried to sit down again – failing at that since the stool was still lying on the floor – fell on his butt and taking his paper work down with him. The ensuing commotion had lured Madam Bones out of her office – the whole scene had amused the normally stone faced witch – and had won them the attention of practically the entire department._

_Unfortunately that also meant that Harry was being stared at for at least fifteen minutes. He still shuddered at the memory, no matter how many self-confidence exercises Aliciel and Blaise put him through, he just did not feel comfortable with the constant attention, why would he? Whatever he had been famous for he did not remember it and it had caused his parents’ deaths._

_The holding cell had been clinically clean. There was a bed, a sink and a desk with a stool. On the bed had been a haggard, dark haired man with dead eyes and a grim face. He must have been a good looking man once, before whatever it was that had happened to him. Harry had not gotten much information out of Aliciel considering Azkaban. She had only told him that it was a place guarded by soul-sucking creatures. Looking at the man on the bed he understood what she meant. Madam Bones let him into the cell and told him she would be back in half an hour. Harry carefully approached the ex-convict. “Mr. Black?” the brunet winced. “Sirius?” grey eyes looked at him. The face contorted into a mask of pain. “James. But how? No… not James. Harry.” His voice sounded as if it had not been used for ages. Well, if he could not talk very well Harry would just have to do the talking. “You are correct. My name is Harry James Potter. I have been told you are my godfather.” That seemed to bring a spark into those silvery eyes. It was almost like witnessing a miracle happen. Life flooded back into silvery orbs, steeling them against anything that might come._

_The next 29 minutes were some of the best Harry had ever had. Of course spending time with Aliciel was fantastic and studying with Blaise was interesting but with Sirius there was this instant connection. He felt at home although he was sitting in a holding cell. In this short time Sirius Black had been more of a family to him than the Dursleys had managed in the ten years he had been living with them. And the man had done nothing much. He had just sat and talked to Harry. About his parents, about his father’s friends who called themselves the “Marauders” and about the pranks they pulled. They were 29 blissful minutes and Harry would have almost begged Madam Bones for more time – the only thing stopping him was actually a little voice in his head that reminded him of pureblood decorum (the little voice sounded a lot like a certain Heiress of Slytherin if you had not guessed already)._

_End of Flashback_

The office door opened and Aliciel and Steelclaw entered. The goblin carried a leather purse filled with the money for school supplies - the letter had come this morning, right on the start of the muggle summer holidays (Aliciel’s letter had also arrived, she had made him reply instantly to make sure that their answers went in before the required date).

Domus Unitas

Harry and Aliciel were about to purchase several books from Flourish and Blotts (Harry had to keep the blonde from buying out several bookstores in Knockturn Alley once she had received the monthly allowance from her parents) when both pre-teens sensed something odd. It was like a cry for help, a cry formed out of raw magic, magic that was under massive bindings. Whilst Harry looked around for any individuals that looked like they needed help – whilst trying to keep himself from pressing both hands to his ears, to just cut off the agonized scream - , Aliciel tried to purchase the books they needed. Tried being the operative word here – because it is really kind of distracting to have a voice in the back of your head screaming like their life depended on it. So imagine the surprise when both teens heard the voice that was crying in their minds actually talking behind them. “Excuse me, Professor McGonagall, is it possible for me to purchase some back-up reading? After all I am new to this world so I should adapt and I think some books would help me with that.”

“Well, Mrs. Granger. I would think that is a question you should ask your mother, she is the one paying for your materials.” Sounded a strict but kind voice. By now Aliciel had paid for their books and had turned around with Harry, to see an elderly witch – Professor McGonagall, as the girl had called her – a bushy haired girl and a weary looking lady in muggle clothes who would have to be the girl’s mother. Aliciel narrowed her eyes. “There are binds on this girl’s magical core. They seem much like the ones you had on you when we first met.”

 _“Indeed”_ Harry agreed _“And there is something surrounding her appearance. Like a mist. Is that a glamour?”_

A nod.

_“We have to help her.”_

_“Harry, I think you know me enough by now that helping people who have been manipulated is a given for me.”_

_“Yes, like a true Gryffindor.”_

The blonde hissed. She threw him her trademark Just-wait-and-watch-I’ll-show-you-just-how-gryffindorish-I-really-am glare, a particular nasty one that she always used just before she pulled off some cunning scheme that qualified as a piece of art. “Ms. Granger, Professor McGonagall?” both witches focused their attention on Aliciel. “My friend and I could not help to overhear your conversation just now. You see, Harry here is magic sensitive and we have come to the conclusion that Ms Granger has some rather malevolent spells on her magical core. If you would allow us, we could escort her to Gringotts to have that issue sorted.” McGonagall gave Aliciel a scrutinizing glance. Then she turned to Harry. And stopped. And stared. And almost gaped. And then stared some more. “Would you please introduce yourselves? I will not let a charge of mine go with some strangers, just because they feel like it.”

“Of course, where are my manners? My name is Aliciel Annabella Blaire-Delphino and the dashing young gentleman next to me is Harry-James Potter plus several other last names that he does not wish to have publically announced.” Having lived with Aliciel for weeks Harry realized what she was playing at. She acted like a truly concerned citizen whose friend – an important celebrity and figure head of the light – had just noticed something dark happening with the poor muggleborn next to her. In short she was playing on the witches protective instincts whilst insinuating that the child had been exposed to dark magic. Harry’s role as “Hero of the Light” helped solidifying that claim and Aliciel’s fake awkward manners gave the impression of a truly caring soul who was over enthusiastic to help those in need. Except for the last part everything in those hidden statements was an act. A well performed, completely convincing act, but an act nonetheless.

Domus Unitas

Harry and Professor McGonagall sat in a café sipping tea, Mrs Granger sat stiffly next to them. She had refused to set a foot into the building once she had seen the goblin guards outside, no matter how much the three pre-teens and the Professor had tried to calm her. So it was that Harry and both adults sat in a nice tea room neighbouring on the bank and Aliciel went inside with the muggleborn witch whose first name turned out to be Hermione (A.N. you don’t say. What a surprise!).

Out of curiosity, Harry started to look around. There were many different kinds of guests. There was this person dressed in dirty bandages that looked like a mummy, a pale man with maniacal blood shot eyes and a witch with a noticeable hat that had a stuffed vulture on top. She was scolding a boy Harry’s age, most likely her grandson. “Oh, Neville, please do not tell me you have lost your toad. Again.” A toad? Well, the letter did mention that one was allowed to bring animals to school. But how was one able to lose a toad? Wait a minute. Toad? He was pretty sure he had seen one… oh dear.

It sat just by Mrs Granger’s foot. Carefully Harry stood up from the table and kneeled down, as if to get something that had fallen from the table. The amphibian turned its muddy brown eyes on him. Harry threw a look to Mrs Granger. She still stared out of the window, avoiding any glances thrown her way. In his mind Harry begged the toad to move just a bit so that he could snatch it up without alarming the muggle woman. Of course his bad luck came to haunt him in that moment and the earthy coloured batrachian hopped under the table. Harry sighed. Well, time to step up the game then. Concentrating on his magic he reached out to the toad and summoned it. And slowly, very slowly the animal was lifted of the floor and floated forward into his waiting hands.

“Excuse me, madam? I have heard that you were looking for a toad, could that be the one you are looking for?” the raven haired boy held the toad up for better inspection.

“Trevor!” the witch gave her grandson a somewhat pitying glance.

“Why thank you, young man. I am sorry to have caused you trouble.”

“You did not cause me any trouble at all, Mrs…?”

“Longbottom. Augusta Longbottom. And you are?”

“Harry Potter, Lady Augusta.”

“Potter, oh my. Where were you all these years Mr Potter? My family tried to contact you as we knew that your late parents wanted us to take care of you.”

“That is an issue to which I have yet to find a solution. You see, someone decided to put me with my magic hating muggle relatives against my parents’ will and most likely created a ward to redirect all my mail. They also blocked my magical core and most likely that of a muggleborn witch I met today. The only reason I am standing here with you today is a young lady called Aliciel Delphino. Actually, why do you not greet her yourself, she should have finished her business at Gringotts any moment now.” The dowager duchess nodded thoughtfully. It seemed that there was a person running around blocking children’s magical cores without hesitation for no apparent reason.

Domus Unitas

Hermione Granger was in a state of shock. Not only was she a witch, but the paper that she held in her hands attested that someone had messed around with her magical abilities and her and her parents’ memories – only that they were not her parents. Next to her sat the enigmatic blonde girl that oozed calm and control. She probably was the only reason that kept Hermione from crying her eyes out. She did not want to embarrass herself in front of the other female. She looked at the sheet again.

Inheritance and Health of Hermione Jean Granger, originally known as Iris Helena Ravenscourt born on September 9th 2000

Paternal side:

Clairvoyance

Magic Sensitivity

Maternal side:

Lady Ravenscourt

Lady Ravenclaw

Gift of Premonition (Ravenclaw line)

Elemental Magic: Wind (Air) (Ravenclaw line)

Health:

Block on magical core

Block on Elemental magic

Block on Clairvoyance, Premonition and Magic Sensitivity

Magical Core: Grey (dark side suppressed by blocks)

Somehow, seeing the “Health” section again made her extremely angry. She had known that these strange incidents that had happened around her were also caused by her. She felt as if this ability had its own consciousness, always saving her from bullies like her own personal guardian angel. That someone had dared to take that ability from her caused a furious heat in her stomach. The other thing was her name. Who was she? Hermione Granger or Iris Ravenscourt? She did not know.

“Mrs Granger. No… Hermione.”

“Don’t call me that. Apparently everything I thought I knew about me is a lie.”

The pinkish haired girl gave a long suffering sigh. “What is your favourite flower?”

“Lavender.”

“Your favourite book?”

“Anything that is educational”

“Has that changed now that you are not Hermione Granger anymore? Is it a lie now?”

The brunet shook her head.

“Are your parents just because they did not give birth to you any less your mother and father than before?”

The girl shook her head again.

“See? It does not matter whether or not you are Hermione or whether or not you are Iris. You may be the Heir of Ravenclaw but you are also the daughter of two dentists. It is your decision who you want to become. And if you feel sad or lonely or feel like you have lost your way Harry, Professor McGonagall and I will be there to help you.”

A small smile stole itself on the face of the shy muggleborn turned Lady of Ravenclaw. Then she turned to the goblin who did the test. “If it is not too much trouble I would like to get rid of the magical bindings.”

“Of course Lady Ravenclaw. It is our utmost pleasure to finally serve the houses of the Founders again.” The goblin hurried out of the office.

“Founders?”

“I’ll explain later.”

Domus Unitas

When Hermione stepped out of the bank she felt like she was assaulted by many different colours, noises, smells and tastes. Her senses were overloading with her new found ability to sense anything magical. She felt nauseous. Inside the building it had been alright. The dark, soothing magic of the goblins had over layered anything else. Outside the protective walls of Gringotts however she wished to have never left the building. Soon her stomach cramped and she knew she was about to empty its contents onto the marble steps of the bank, had not a lapis lazuli coloured aura wrapped itself around her, protecting her from all other influences. The scent of lavender calmed her. She threw a questioning glance towards Aliciel. The half siren had a light jade coloured orb around her that left the taste of ocean and the smell of the sea. The blonde noticed her analysing stare.

“You did this yourself. It seemed that your magic realized that you are in danger or uncomfortable and wrapped itself around you so that you only perceive the things you want to sense.”

“Wow that is useful. I should learn how to do that.” Aliciel guided her towards a nice café, where Hermione’s (she decided she wanted to go with Hermione for now) mother, the Professor, Harry and an elderly witch whom neither of the girls recognized sat and drank tea. Hermione stopped at the mirror which hang next to the coat rack.

Her bucktoothed bushy haired self was gone. In her stead was a beautiful young lady with a smile that was blinding in all the right ways, chocolate brown silky locks, sapphire blue eyes and fair skin. So that was what Iris. Then Hermione sensed the boy next to the unknown witch. His earthly coloured magic was interspersed with veins of gold and amber, however it was caged by amethyst magic confining it in an incredibly small place. When she told Aliciel as much she sighed. “That would make three. You, Harry and whoever that boy is.”

“Well, at least now we got a hint at whom the magic could belong to. I do not know much about this ability yet but most people have monochrome auras. I am sure there are not many wizards or witches running around who have violet auras.” Hermione mused.

“True. We should keep looking for that type of aura. But right now our goal has become to get the boy’s magic out of its cage.”

Domus Unitas

To say that Augusta Longbottom had been angry when the goblins had read the blood tests to her would be the understatement of the century. The old lady had sped past angry and crossed right over the line of “mad as hell” just to put that behind her as well and go straight beyond enraged, she had then gave herself a short break only to higher herself onto the stages of furious and wrathful only to realize that this was by far not enough to express her current feelings. Hence she had reached the territory of livid and the following rampage was only thwarted by her grandson happily exclaiming: “So, I am not half a squib after all.”

Not only was Neville not a squib he had also lost his ability to communicate with all living things (i.e. animals and plants but mainly plants), his Elemental magic of Earth and most of his magical core to the binds. Now the brunet boy seemed completely at ease with himself and his surroundings. His honey and hazel eyes spoke of a kind soul while the rest of his appearance told the story of someone who would grow up to be a protector of those in need, Hermione was sure of it. And since she had regained her second sight, she was certain that this gut feeling would come true someday.

If only her future would look as rosy as Neville’s…

_Flashback_

_Hermione’s mother stared at her. She looked like she was about to panic. “Who are you? What have you done to our daughter?”_

_“Mom! I’m still me. I have just freed myself from restrictions someone placed there. I am as I should be!”_

_“No! You are not my little Hermione. I thought I could overlook it but this… this is just too much.”_

_Her mother jumped up and left the shop, leaving a crying Hermione in her wake. Aliciel and Professor McGonagall rushed her to the ladies room. Once in this relatively private environment the brunet broke down completely._

_Flashback End_

“Hermione?”

“Oh, sorry I was lost in thought, would you please repeat what you have said Professor?”

“It is hardly a crime to be lost in one’s mind especially if one is in your situation.”

The brunet gave her soon to be teacher a wistful smile. Aliciel stepped next to her. “I am sorry, Hermione. I could have known this would be happening.”

“Do not blame yourself Aliciel. I finally feel like I have found my place where I belong. It saddens me to no end that my parents do not share this opinion, but from what I have seen today maybe it is for the best. Who knows what would have happened to them if I stayed with them. This is for –“ at that point Hermione broke into tears again.

She had done nothing wrong. She was finally free. Why would her parents not see this? She was beautiful, she was powerful she was… not their child. They must have known that she was not theirs and this put too much of a strain on them. But if they could not love her like she was, if they could only love her if she was someone else, could it be called “love” at all? If you had asked her a few hours ago she would have said “Yes” and would have hid behind her books again, hoping that everything would be forgotten. Had she not met Harry and Aliciel she would have made it without losing her parents. If both pre-teens had just ignored them. But then she remembered Neville. His magic had cried out for somebody, anybody, to help him. Had she been the same? Then all Harry and Aliciel had wanted to do was to help her. And in the end it was her who decided to follow the Slytherin heiress into the bank. But she wanted, needed someone to hate. She did not want to hate her parents, nor any of her new found friends or herself. So if it was her parents who caused her dilemma she had to put them behind her. She was no longer the girl from a few hours ago. She was not Hermione Granger. But she was not Iris Ravenscourt either. Hermione Ravenscourt. Yes. That would be her name.

When she told the others of her decision, everyone cheered her on. Aliciel had even offered to let her house elves get her things. An offer she gladly accepted. Right now she did not feel like facing her parents. Fortunately, when her mother told her that she was no longer her “little Hermione” she pronounced her an emancipated minor. Meaning, she could choose her lodgings (Aliciel had offered her a place in her apartment, when Lady Longbottom took charge of Harry until Sirius Black would) and someone – everyone had decided on Professor McGonagall – would check up on her regularly until she reached majority in the wizarding world. Somehow, although it still looked dreary, her day had brightened up a bit.

Domus Unitas

Ollivander was an old man. There was no denying that. He had seen many customers come and go but this group would stay in his memory, he was sure of it. For one they were all Heirs to the Founders – he had last serviced an Heir of Slytherin who later became known as He-Who-Must-Not-Be-Named, but he had come from a minor line – and each of them controlled one of the elements.

First of course there was Harry Potter. The Boy-Who-Lived. Knowing Albus he expected either a pampered little prince or an abused shy little boy. This young man was neither. He held himself with grace, self-confidence and dignity but did not come off as arrogant. The girl next to him had pointed out that someone had messed with the wands to make one of them – the brother of You-Know-Who’s wand – choose Harry. In the end the boy had been chosen by a rare wand. It had been ordered by a customer who was also a Phoenix animagus. He had asked Ollivander to use one of his feathers with Japanese maple wood. The wand maker then had created the wand and carved a filigree Asian dragon into the wood. The customer then had payed for the wand and told him to keep it for the customer it chose. When Ollivander pointed out that mystery to the group he expected an uproar, the boy however merely said: “It does not matter where this wand came from. The important thing is that it chose me, isn’t it?” Since the wand had already been paid for and none of the adults seemed to have a problem with the boys decision Ollivander went on to the next child.

Neville Longbottom. Oh dear, that had taken quite some time. Finally after almost two hours of trying an ash wand with amber vines and unicorn hair core had chosen the boy. It was one of Ollivander’s finer works if he could say so himself.

The Ravenclaw heiress who detected the spell on the holly wand came next. Without any further delay the girl pointed out an elm wand with Celtic carvings and a core of hippogriff feather. Fascinated Ollivander turned to the last one, the Slytherin heir to see what the girl – who was obviously a half siren – had in store for him.

It took hours. None of the wands fitted, or even closely fitted. The others had already left several times to get something to eat or simply get some fresh air. No wand chose the girl. Then Ollivander remembered something. “Are you, by any chance, related to the queen of the seas?” He asked the peculiar girl.

“She is my grandmother.” The old man could have done a victory dance, instead he jumped up and tore through the shelves, it should be here somewhere…there it was.

Carefully he handed the wand to the girl, whilst saying: “Pearl and Diamond, both found in the Mediterranean Sea, please note the frost carvings, making the wand seem like silver, as you can see. Oh, this truly is a piece of art, created by myself and an Italian colleague who convinced the ocean queen to give one of her hairs for this project. Now then, let us see whether or not it was you whom the lady of the seas has chosen to be her ambassador on the land.”

“Ambassador?”

“Dear girl did you not know? The lady only gave a hair so that her ambassador - a link between the world above and the world of the sea - whom she knew was to be born soon would be protected by the sea.” Hesitatingly the future Lady Slytherin took the wand and waved it carefully as if it was made of glass. A string of silver sparks and a sirenic song filled the room. The wand itself glowed from the inside, highlighting the ice flowers on its surface.

When the group left the shop by sun down, Ollivander sat back and mused to himself: “I am sure we will hear from this group, after all these wands are something special, each wand is something very special and never forget: The wand choses the wizard. Now then. All I have to do is to find that purple aura who dared to mess with my precious wands.”

TBC

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> 1\. I really, really need comments reagarding Draco. So if you are an AO3 user please comment (I blocked anonymous commeting in case some cyber bully decides to degrade my writing just for the heck of it).  
> 2\. I really really need comments reagarding Draco. This note is easy to remember because it is the same as the first.  
> 3\. I really really - ok let's stop right there I think you got the message. (If not feel free to read 1. and 2. again) (Btw this is not meant sassy or anything I am simply at my wits end, please comment I will reply ASAP)  
> 4\. I know Sirius is awesome but it is unlikely that the trial would get done before Yule because a lot of people would get into hot waters and of course would try to postpone the trial as long as possible.  
> 5\. I let the A.N. stay inside the story because that was what I thought once I had written the sentence - it made a lot of sense from the characers' pov but not from the reader's pov to point out that Mrs. Granger's daughter is named Hermione  
> 6\. About Aliciel's hair colour: just google: "rose blonde" about half of the results will show a rather rosé coloured hair. That is why I called Aliciel's hair pinkish. (Just attribute that colour to her being half siren)  
> 7\. The wands are different because the have become different people. Harry is not the abused boy craving for gentleness anymore and Hermiones core is grey not light like in the original works of J.K. Rowling. (Who did a fabulous job with the series. Like I wrote before, this is just my musing about what would have happened if ...)  
> 8\. Japanese Maple stands for "a peaceful retreat" I found that fitting for Harry, who just wished to live his life like any other person.  
> 9\. Harry and Aliciel speak Parsel at the book shop so that no one understands what they are planning.


	4. Family and Familiars

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Harry's birthday, aka: we get to meet Draco and the Author has set up her alternative universe enough to finally reurn to canon.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> READ THE NOTES AT THE END OF THE CHAPTER  
> And read the tags.  
> And check out the title and summary of chapter three, I mended some editorial mistakes.  
> Oh, since I did not have a disclaimer for a few chapters here it is again just to be on the safe side:   
> I do not own Harry Potter. J.K. Rowling does.  
> However I do own Aliciel Blaire and the AU-idea. And the familiar process that is described in this book.  
> Underlined text is quoted from the book.

Harry Potter decided that this was by far the best birthday for anyone to have.

First of all, he went to visit Sirius again. After almost a month away from the Dementors - and now in proper care provided by a team work of healers from St. Mungo’s and goblin doctors – he had regained a healthy glow in his face and his muscles started forming again. Harry had been shown a picture of Sirius before he was sent to Azkaban. Two weeks ago the man in the holding cell would have been unrecognizable if you had only the picture to go from. Now that he had gotten a haircut and shave - plus the afore-mentioned medical care – you could easily see the man in the picture on the Black Lord’s face.

To say the man had been happy to see Harry, would be an insult to the state of bliss his godfather had been in. In his euphoria he had released his animagus form and jumped around happily yipping and wagging his tail. Madam Bones and Lady Longbottom had almost fainted from shock when they had found their charge buried under a black hound that resembled the lore description of the Grim too much for comfort – considering that both women are very steadfast that means something.

When one of the Ministry guards wanted to send Sirius back to prison for being an unregistered animagus, both women had given him the evil eye and then sweetly reminded him that Black had been in prison for twelve years – totally innocent.

So another two hours were spent happily chatting away and catching up. In the last ten minutes Blaise, Hermione, Neville and Aliciel came to introduce themselves. It had been an all-around joyous occasion. Harry had already felt exhilarated but the day had not reached its end.

Afterwards they got a tour of the Ministry – something that in itself would have been boring – but the teens were reminded of their political standing when Madam Bones had shown them to the court room and the Wizengamot chamber. One day these empty seats would belong to them. Amelia smiled. Luckily that was far into the future, right now the children could have a normal childhood – well, as normal as a childhood can get given their circumstances.

They went to the restaurant in the Shard for lunch and had ice cream at Fortescue’s afterwards. Once ice cream was finished Harry was presented with presents. Something he definitely did not expect.

The Longbottoms had apparently searched through their library and had presented Harry with a book on pureblood family alliances and a chronicle of the Potter/Longbottom alliance. Said alliance apparently dated back to the days of the founders when the Longbottoms were still called Hufflepuff and the Potter still carried the name Gryffindor. Harry had been overjoyed: On one hand he could learn about his family and on the other he had things to read again (he started studying a lot since he no longer had to do worse than Dudley at school and he wanted to know about this world, his world, his parents’ world).

Hermione and the Goblins had worked together to properly prepare the Gaunt – or rather the Peverell - Ring for Harry. He had a double claim to it one by right of conquest – he had vanquished the previous owner of the ring (Voldemort) – and one by right of blood: Voldemort had defiled the artefact by making it a Horcrux, thus had nullified his claim. Hence it fell to the next of Peverell blood: Harry.

There had been a big commotion caused by Hermione – who did not believe fairy tales to be true – and Lady Longbottom – who knew how much political weight the Peverell name still had. Hermione had simply refused to acknowledge that the ring could have the power to “recall loved ones from the grave”, she had simply wanted to give the ring to Harry as she saw the rings magic reaching out for her friend.

Neville – and well that was quite the surprise to everyone on the table - had stopped any other squabble by declaring that Harry should just use the ring and see what happens. Thus Harry turned the stone three times in hand – as instructed in the tale. For some time nothing happened. Hermione looked very smug. Only when she was about to say something on the lines of “Told you so” Aliciel and Neville – who were sitting opposite of Harry and Hermione – stared at the space between them.

Hermione screamed. Neville shivered. Aliciel fainted. Harry stared. The same unruly raven hair, the same round glasses, the same face. He was staring at the ghostly image of James Potter. His father. At least the head of his father. The rest of his body seemed to be hidden inside the stuffing of the booth Harry and Hermione were sitting in. James Potter looked around a bit confused. Then his gaze fell on Harry: “Hello, son” Harry almost cried, almost. “I am afraid we cannot come out here, it is kind of crowded and – woah, does she need medical attention?” James looked at Aliciel who had regained consciousness but was now crouched on the floor, muttering something that sounded suspiciously like: “Should’ve know that they would be like ghosts.”

Harry returned his attention to his father. “She’ll be alright… I guess.” The former Potter Lord smiled: “Ok, then. Just for future reference: Death says that you should only call us when you are alone, so that you don’t scare the living daylights out of someone.” Harry smiled. “Bye, Dad, see you later.”

“See you later, Harry” and the ghost disappeared. It left a bittersweet taste in Harry’s mouth.

For a long time none of the friends said anything. It was Hermione who spoke first: “You should not use it often.”

“Why not? I can finally see my parents. Talk to them. Get to know them.”

“Harry, don’t you understand? The ring was made so that the second brother would be driven insane with unfulfilled longing, so that he would take his life. And Harry, think of the description the fairy tale gives of the girl: “but soon she turned cold and sad, for she did not belong in the mortal world””

Harry almost broke into tears again. It was Neville who cheered him up: “Think Harry, if you only call them for a relatively short period of time and only if you really need them, as in: really, really, really, really need them, then nobody is going to get hurt. You should find the balance.” Everyone stared at Neville. It was a rather mature approach of the topic: Find the balance.

The waiter must have been godsend or he just had extremely good timing, as he brought their ordered meals just as the staring at Neville was going to become awkward. Hermione and Harry stared at the high-class meals and then at Aliciel who had insisted on buying them dinner. It was rather fascinating: As cold and proper as she could be, Aliciel loved spoiling those she cared for rotten. Behind her schemes was always the goal to keep those closest to her heart save. Strange. These qualities were attributed to Gryffindor and Hufflepuff, not Slytherin. Harry was not sure why Aliciel was so adamant that she would be Slytherin. Sure the girl had ambitions and her dark magical core most likely would be accepted more in Slytherin than any of the other houses. And with her knowledge of Dark Magic and The Olde Ways it was likely that she would make it far in Slytherin house. But with her goals so openly gryffindorish it just did not make any sense why the girl wanted to get into the house of snakes. Had it something to do with her family? Did she think that because her ancestor was Slytherin himself she should be in his house? And then there was her odd intuition when it came to the soul pieces. When Augusta Longbottom had heard of the Horcruxes, she had told everyone that those were magic only accessible from sixth year and upwards. So how did Aliciel even know about the soul shards?

When asked, the rose blonde smirked – a habit Harry had come to acknowledge as an output for mischievous glee – “You see, my mother kept an eye on the Dark Lord when he first rose to power. She is head of the Slytherin family and has to make sure to keep all of us in order. And he was the last of the Gaunts, who had inherited the Parseltongue and the locket but as they married into the Peverell line they forfeited the title of Lord or Lady Slytherin. To protect the future heirs it was decided that the Blaire line would be inherited matriarchically, since no one expected the Slytherin heir to be female. It was said that the name of Slytherin would be sealed until one day an heir of the Blaire line would be able to bring the locket into his or her rightful possession, thus uniting both lines once more. As it is likely that Voldemort turned it into a Horcrux, thus nullifying his claim to it. Meaning: I only need to find the locket. That is why I decided to enroll in Hogwarts. If I became Lady Slytherin I could also clean the name of my ancestors, I would be able to change the view people have about Dark Magic. While it is nice to live as a Blaire – we have enough money, we have a good reputation and are respected – I long to see the name of Salazar Slytherin cleared.”

“How do you even know all that? You are not even eleven, you did no take any of the Heir lessons, how did you get your hands on this rather intimate information?” asked the Dowager Duchess.

The half sirens smirk grew downright evil. “Oh, you see as a kid I have always suffered from insomnia. My parents always talked in the kitchen of our mansion, since none of my brothers knew where it was and I did not tell them about not being able to sleep. Thus I always eavesdropped on conversations, oh they talked about the most interesting things, the Horcruxes, the Blaire line, where to find books in the library. At that point I knew that they knew I was listening in but I had already enough knowledge to make use of and of course I had the library.”

Did Harry say that this girl was not Slytherin? Scratch that! Aliciel Annabella Blaire-Delphino knew exactly what she wanted and how to get it. She knew that she more often than not bended the rules almost to their breaking point and she relished in it. What he found surprising that the blonde shared her plans. He doubted that she trusted them enough. Then again it could be that Aliciel forced herself to open up to demonstrate exactly that. He knew her well enough and it could be that she simply needed allies, possibly even friends.

Domus Unitas

After the eventful luncheon the merry group wandered to Diagon Alley, Blaise had excused himself after the meal. His mother would most likely notice if he stayed out any longer. However he had told Harry to go to Madam Malkin’s. Blaise’s present would wait there for him.

Aliciel however had other plans. “Harry and Hermione cannot access their vaults as they are not eleven yet. And while Neville certainly can I believe that what I have in mind to purchase would leave a rather large dent in the Longbottom vault and the Hufflepuff vault is still sealed, as they have to get the Hufflepuff cup out of the Lestrange vault, to get you appointed as Lord Hufflepuff. So I decided to gift these to you, since I need a birthday present for all of you.” They stopped at a shop called “Magical Menagerie”. Confused on why buying pets was such a big deal Harry, Neville and Hermione entered the shop with Aliciel bringing up the rear.

A witch who looked to be in her mid-forties – but knowing wizards she was most likely a lot older – glanced up when she heard the door fall shut. Aliciel stepped forward: “I made an appointment today under the name Blaire-Delphino.”

“Ah…the familiar finding, eh? Well, come on then, let’s get to the back, ya kids will have more privacy there.” She spoke with a thick US-American accent. Neville looked dazed. The two muggle raised heirs looked at each other, what in heaven’s name were familiars? They seemed to be a big deal considering Neville looked so out of it and the shop clerk wanted them to have privacy.

“Well then, who wants ta start? Ladies first?”

“Actually, it is Harry’s birthday. Would it be alright if we start with him?”

“Alright then. Come on here, young man.” Hesitantly Harry stood next to the woman.

“Do ya have any idea how do to this?”

“No, ma’am, I was muggle raised.”

“Gotcha, well it’s no biggie, Imma muggleborn and still could figure out the process. So first ya prick ya finger with the needle and let it drop onto this” She held up a white porcelain egg for all to see. “Three drops – not two, not four, three drops of blood - that’s important. Then you breathe on it and wait until it is fully coloured. Once that is finished I’ll give ya a shell that’ll match itself to the coloring of the egg once you breathe on them. You keep the shell on until the egg completely absorbed that color as well, keep it on a bit longer if you’re not sure. Once the shell is completely white, you remove it and wait for your familiar to hatch. The process is gonna take about two months, so make sure that you keep those eggs with you all the time. Luckily the shells have little rings attached to them so you can just wear them on a chain around you neck.” Harry nodded and carefully followed the process.

His egg turned a deep, velvety crimson red with Latin engraving scrambled across it in different shades of gold. The shop owner whistled and handed Harry continued to go through with the last steps. At that point Hermione politely raised her hand. “Whatcha wonderin’ about lil’ Miss?”

“Well, could you explain the process to us? I find it fascinating, if a bit odd, and I would like to understand how it works.”

“Well ya see, it’s easy once ya think about it. By giving your blood to the egg – which is filled with the DNA of any being on this world that is able to become a familiar – you indicate who you are. The magic inside the egg then will spread the blood through it, the magic inside the blood will latch onto the DNA of your familiar. This is why you have to give three drops: Less would not be enough and more would overflow the sensitive magical machinations inside the egg. Anyways once the DNA is matched – that takes just a few seconds – you breathe on the egg to give your future familiar enough magic to grow. The shells – which are also laced by with your magic, since you breathed on them – act as a shield against other magic, otherwise your familiar would not know whom to bond to once it is hatched. The shells also act as a magical resource, from which the egg gets some of its energy from. Hence the draining of the colour. In the last three weeks your eggs will grow, thus you will remove the shells.” From somewhere inside her robes Hermione had pulled out a notebook and scribbled everything down.

Meanwhile Neville had started the process once more. His the egg looked similar to the view you get when you look skyward on a summer day in the woods: A clash of white, gold and light green with splashes of brown mixed in. Hermione shifted her sight – something she had become very adept at over the past few weeks – and looked at the eggs. The raw unused eggs were glimmering like a rainbow, most likely due to the many auras of the animals inside of them. Harry’s egg did not match his aura, it emitted a gold and crimson light, while Harry himself shone emerald with golden flames running across his aura. Neville’s aura and his egg matched perfectly, however.

Her own egg was a dark violet colour that had bronze swirls dancing across it. Her own dark blue aura did not match but it was not completely the opposite colour like in Harry’s case. Aliciel handed them each thin silver chains that had to be covered in weightless charms, otherwise the filigree chains would have cut into their necks when supporting the weight of the eggs. Another quick shift in sight and Hermione could clearly see the girl’s jade magic covering the necklaces. The half siren’s egg was the second perfect match. Her jade aura matched the jade stone the egg seemed to have turned into. Both the shells and the egg were slightly translucent except at the centre, where the embryo seemed to grow.

Domus Unitas

After Harry fell into bed at Longbottom Manor, he laid awake for hours. Something kept him from sleeping. And he knew what it was. Carefully he took the Peverell Ring and turned it three times in hand, waiting for someone to appear. And – soon enough – there was a petite blonde woman dressed in medieval robes sitting next to him on the bed. Harry almost lost hold of the ring. “Greetings, young Potter. It has been sometime since someone called upon me, so I must admit to my confusion when I heard your call. Thus it took me longer than usual to react.”

“Good evening, ma’am. I am sorry to have disturbed your sleep, I was merely trying to figure out how this artefact worked.” He held up the ring for her to see.

“Ah, indeed. Well, I am afraid I cannot give you specific answers on that. Rowena was always more knowledgeable of such things.”

“Rowena? Could you be…Helga Hufflepuff?”

“The one and only. So ask away, young Gryffindor!”

“How are you here? Is the story about Slytherin wanting to kill all muggleborns true? Do you know someone with a purple aura – we are looking for him since he bound our magic? Do you –“

“Shh, calm down. Well, I am here because this was my house once. That rumour about Salazar is complete and utter nonsense. He would have been hypocritical, after all Godric was muggleborn as well. Salazar just said, that to be on the safe side we should remove the muggleborns from their families as soon as possible, to not endanger them when their families realized that they could do magic. As for someone with purple magic I cannot help you, I have been dead for a long time after all. And who is “we”?”

“Ah, that would be Neville – your descendant – Hermione, she is the soon-to-be Lady Ravenclaw, and me, Harry.” He did not feel the need to point out that he was a Gryffindor, Helga knew that already.

“You mean to tell me that someone bound the magic of three of the Founder’s heirs?”

“Yes?” The blonde started to steam with rage. The walls shook, apparently even in after life the original Hufflepuff could call upon her earth magic. Harry needed to distract her, fast.

“Erm, what does Godric being muggleborn have to do with Salazar being hypocritical?” Helga stopped and blinked.

“They were lovers of course.” She told him as if that much was obvious.

“Lovers?”

“Yes, lovers. They even had kids.”

“Kids?”

“Of course, why do you think same-sex-couples are not discriminated in our world? With the right potion anything is possible. So Salazar and Godric took that opportunity and had children. Three of them to be precise. One carried on the Gryffindor line, one founded the Gaunt Line and their daughter became the first Blaire matriarch. Now excuse me I have to see some old friends of mine about a person running around and defiling our lines.”

And with that the Hufflepuff Founder was gone, leaving Harry with even more to think about. But soon enough his mind focused on the other issue that had occurred today.

_Flashback_

_Harry found it quite unbelievable when Blaise had gifted him **another** dress robe, he was going to run out of space in his wardrobe within the months if people continued to give him clothes at this rate. Sighing Harry stood on the chair._

_A boy with a pale, pointed face was getting his school robes fitted near him._

_“Hello,” said the boy, “Hogwarts, too?”_

_“Yes,” said Harry._

_“My father’s in the next store buying my books and mother’s up the street looking at wands,” said the boy. He had a bored, drawling voice. “Then I’m going to drag them off to look at racing brooms. I don’t see why first years can’t have their own. I think I’ll bully father into getting me one and I’ll smuggle it in somehow.”_

_Harry was strongly reminded of Dudley._

_“Have you got your own broom?” the boy went on._

_“No,” said Harry. Although he wanted to. Hermione and Aliciel had talked him out of that one._

_“Play Quidditch at all?”_

_“No,” Harry said again. It was kind of difficult to play Quidditch when one did not have a broom._

_“ **I** do – Father says it’s a crime if I’m not picked to play for my house, and I must say, I agree. Know what house you’ll be in yet?”_

_“No,” said Harry, getting more irritated by the minute. This boy must have been the heir of a noble house. Would he also have been like that, had Voldemort not come after his parents?_

_“Well, no one really knows until they get there, do they, but I know I’ll be in Slytherin, all our family have been – imagine being in Hufflepuff, I think I’d leave, wouldn’t you?” Harry was a second away from exploding. How dare he? Neville was a wonderful person. And this boy was definitely not Slytherin material. He had neither the poised grace, nor any sneakiness or cunning. He was a spoiled brat. No wonder Slytherin’s reputation was in shambles, if people like him dominated the house! _

_The boy opened his mouth again: “I say, look at those three.” Harry turned around. His friends stood outside the window. Neville held up two ice cream cones, Hermione – who no matter how much her magic was freed still was bushy haired – and Aliciel who already had started on her ice cream cone. All of them wore casual – i.e. designer clothing that had taken them hours to purchase but Aliciel would not settle for anything less – muggle clothing, which looked good but still stood out in the magical alley. “That are Neville Longbottom, Hermione Granger” – they had decided to let Hermione officially stay a Granger until she could claim the heir ring – “and Aliciel Delphino.” – same case here, calling her Blaire would have set off a lot of questions._

_The boy snorted. “Apparently the Longbottom heir is a blood traitor, who fraternizes with mudbloods.” Harry froze. So the boy was that type of wizard, huh? The blonde rambled on: “And look at the mudblood, she looks like she’s been hit by lightning. And what kind of name is “Delphino”, is she part Dolphin or something?” Don’t lose your cool, Harry. Don’t lose your cool, Harry. Don’t lose your cool Harry._

_“They are friends of mine. And as you can see the familiar eggs, they are very powerful wizards.”_

_“Pfft. Those could be fake, you know. Anyways why are they with you? Where are your parents?” _

_“They’re dead,” said Harry shortly. He didn’t feel like getting into the matter with this boy._

_“Oh, sorry,” said the other, not sounding sorry at all. “But they were our kind, weren’t they?”_

_“They were a witch and a wizard, if that’s what you mean.”_

_“I really don’t think they should let the other sort in, do you? They’re just not the same, they’ve never been brought up –“ Harry tuned him out. He had discussed the problem with the rest of the Heirs. All had come to the agreement that, whilst true in the medieval ages, it was stupid to think that muggleborns did not want to learn about their new world. Most of the time they actually struggled to understand when no one wanted to explain. On the other side most pureblood traditions – near incestuous marriages for example – were out of date and still, society clung onto them._

_Flashback End_

Domus Unitas

Hermione woke up crying. Her dreams were always taunted by her mother’s words. She may have seemed strong in front of the others but the rejection of her mother strained her. Finally she turned to the people who had promised to help her through this.

Minerva McGonagall was awoken by a fire call in the middle of the night. She saw Aliciel’s tired face in the flames: “Could you come over, Professor? Hermione needs help.” The witch hurriedly threw over a night robe and stepped through the flames to find Hermione crying into the other girl’s shoulder, whilst nursing a big cup of hot chocolate. “Could you bring us to her parents’ home? I think it is better we resolve this issue now until the scars grow much deeper.”

Domus Unitas

Markus Granger was a happy man. He had a loving wife, a good job, a nice home and of course the apple of his eye: His daughter. When they had first adopted the girl, his wife – Jean – had been sceptic about her unknown origins. but soon those doubts had cleared in their familial bliss. Then those letters had arrived. About how his girl was a witch. To top it all off, their dental clinic had gone through some troubles, stressing both of them. Still they decided to let Hermione go to this school, because they loved her more than anything in this world and Hermione truly wished to go.

When Professor McGonagall took his wife and his daughter to the wizarding world to get school supplies, only his wife had returned. Once he started questioning her, he realized that his wife had let out the stress on their daughter, resulting in Hermione’s disappearance. The next day he had carefully coerced Jean into getting professional help. Soon afterwards she had been diagnosed with a burn-out syndrome, Jean being not able to live with the memories of her daughter in their home – she instantly regretted lashing out at her precious little girl, how could she have done this? – left to live with her mother until she was better.

So now, a month later, Markus sat alone in the kitchen of a house meant for three. He had played with the thought to drown his sorrows in alcohol but quickly dismissed it. What if Hermione came back to him being drunk? It would only worsen the situation.

A knock on the door.

Who could it be in the dead of the night?

Slowly he opened the door to see the Professor and an unknown girl standing on his front porch. Behind them he saw a bushy brunet head. An oh, so familiar bushy, brunet head. Only seconds later he held an armful of crying, apologizing Hermione in his arms.

At that moment it did not matter that it was far past midnight. It did not matter that his wife was not here. All that mattered was his daughter having returned safely to him.

Domus Unitas

“Do not get me wrong, I am overjoyed that the misunderstanding between Hermione and her parents got cleared. But I also have to admit that I will miss having her around. And Harry as well for that matter. Merlin, it has only been two months of cohabitation and now I am afraid that the apartment will feel lonely with just Tonker and Creamy.”

“Well, you are going to meet them soon enough.”

“Right you are Professor, right you are.”

“Now then, I will return to Hogwarts and pour myself a large whiskey, I think I deserve one after all that drama tonight.”

“True it has been an eventful day. Buona notte, Professor.”

“Good night Ms Delphino.”

TBC

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> 1\. So you see: Draco is going to be prat. Because that was the plan from the very beginning and nobody said anything against it.  
> in the end the count was:  
> 1 -spoiled child at the beginning (which I counted as prat)  
> 1 - I don't really care, please return to canon  
> 0 - the entire rest of any other commenting possibilities.  
> 2\. Like always: I crave the comments. Even if you guys point out how funny or stupid or sad or anything a scene was.  
> 3\. Neville always struck me as the practical character, once he comes out of his shy shell. So I am going to make him the down-to-earth character who makes sure that the others stay on the ground with him.  
> 4\. I have not the slightest idea how to write accents, I hope I did not offend anyone with the way the woman in the pet shop speaks.  
> 5\. Beware google translate Italian. (Aliciel is Italian and is using her native language when tired, as I do not speak Italian I will mostly rely on google and my spanish grammar book to get things right)  
> Sorry for the rant.   
> CU soon Luca Crimson


	5. Hogwarts, at last

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> telling title is telling

Harry and Neville were excited. As in very very excited. They would be going to Hogwarts today! Finally, finally they would step into the school after a month of excruciating waiting. It would be fantastic, it would be glorious. It would be Hogwarts. Finally.

Hermione was giddy with excitement. She just could not stay still. Her father sighed in the driver’s seat. His little girl would be going to a school far away, however seeing her this happy made him share her joy. Everything would be alright. Hermione had already told him of the friends she made and after her return he got to meet Aliciel properly. The blonde was delightful company for his young daughter and Markus doubted that Hermione would get into any trouble with her by her side.

Aliciel stood in front of the mirror. She had put on her school robes already, as to avoid the hassle of changing on the train. Their little group of friends had decided that Aliciel would be the first to arrive and safe them a compartment at the rear end of the train. The heiress sighed. Hopefully coming early would help her avoid the British pureblood families. Someone must have overheard one of her friends calling her Blaire and ever since they were rumours going in the higher society that the Blaire family had not died contrary to popular belief.

“Miss, ‘tis alright to be excited. You are going to Hogwarts after all.”

“Why would that qualify as a source of excitement, Tonker?”

“You have been overjoyed ever since your parents allowed you to enroll in the school, miss.”

“I cannot allow myself to lose my head in anticipation. At least one of us had to make sure that we all arrive without any complications.”

“So you are admitting that you barely can restrain yourself to let your excitement openly show.”

“Hmpf. I do not see it necessary to dignify that with an answer.”

“Did you know you become dismissive every time you are in denial over something or trying to hide your emotions and someone just hit the ah… bull’s eye?”

“Excuse me? I am not denial. I have never denied that I am excited. For me however it is not necessary to show my emotions as they can be used against me very easily.”

“You basically just admitted to the second part: You suppress your emotions.”

“How are you able to read me so well, Tonker? Even Creamy has trouble with that.”

“But Creamy is a young elf. I have been with you your whole life and the last two years since you left the main house as well.”

“Indeed” the half siren agreed bitterly.

“Miss if it hurts you that much maybe you should contact your parents. At least Master if not - the young masters as well - would be pleased.”

“I told you Tonker: I will not return to that house until I have achieved my goals.”

“If you say so Miss.”

“Yes…Now then. Enough chit-chat. I must hurry along…I will miss you Tonker. You and Creamy.”

“Well, we will be seeing you in ten months will we not?”

“Yes. See you soon.”

And with that the young heiress flooed to King’s Cross station. She had a compartment to safe.

Domus Unitas

It had been quite some time since the train had started rolling. Daphne and Millicent had paid their visits to their compartment already. Harry grinned. That actually had been quite an amusing scene.

_Flashback_

_After having been invited in both heiresses had seated themselves next to the door. Well, at least Daphne did. Millicent stared. Not in her typical glaring I-will-cut-your-private-parts-of-if-you-come-too-close-to-me way but in an I-have-just-fallen-in-love-at-first-sight-way that Harry knew from the soap operas his aunt liked to watch. Harry carefully followed her line of sight and landed on…Neville? Hectically he looked back and forth between both of them. Millicent still stared and Neville was in deep conversation with Hermione about the usefulness of certain muggle plants in potions. Feeling the brunets stare Neville turned around and gave her his heart warming smile: “You must be Millicent and Daphne. Harry and Aliciel have told us so much about you!” Millicent had only nodded and had dazedly sat down on Daphne’s lap._

_Flashback end_

Nothing much had happened afterwards. There had been a brief discussion about what to purchase from the sweet trolley. In the end they had split up and purchased everything. Shortly after the trolley lady left their door had been rudely slammed open. A ginger haired boy had seated himself next to Aliciel and the candy stash. Without asking or even introducing himself the redhead helped himself to a box of chocolate frogs. Aliciel stared. Not in Millie’s I-will-cut-of-your-private-parts-if-you-come-too-close-to-me way and definitely not in the I-have-just-fallen-in-love-at-first-sight way. No. Aliciel’s stare was one of utter bewilderment. Funny, considering that she had dealed with worse individuals who had made degrading comments about either of them. But that had been a different kind of rude. Those people had known they were rude. Some had even relished in it. This boy was a completely different matter. From his nonchalance about his behaviour it was probably the way he always acted.

“So, which one of you two is Harry Potter?” asked the ginger. “It couldn’t be the bushy haired bookworm over there and the blondie next to me looks way too dumb. And they are both girls anyways.” He eyed Aliciel – who was still in a frozen state of shock (especially so after being called dumb) – warily. “You okay there, blondie?” He put a chocolate smeared hand on her shoulder. “I know I am handsome, but you don’t need to stare at me all day to tell me you’re interested.”

Surprisingly it was Hermione who broke the ensuing silence. “What about her makes you think she could even be remotely interested in you? Your non-existent manners have shocked her too much to respond. Actually I cannot blame her. To put icing on the cake you also propositioned to her! Now, before you scar her for life why don’t you just leave?”

“Like I would hang out with you losers on my own. Just tell me who of you is Harry Potter and then he and I can leave.”

“None of us is. Now go!”

“That can’t be! I checked all the other compartments! He has to be here!”

“Maybe he just noticed your bad manners as well and decided that he cannot be bothered to interact with such rude individuals like you.”

“He wouldn’t dare! I have been told that he will be starving for attention because his muggle relatives abused him!” Everyone gasped. (Well, Aliciel did not, but cut her some slack, she was still frozen over and it is kind of impossible to gasp in such a state) There were way too many implications riding on this. It not only meant that someone knew of Harry’s home life, they also decided to not do anything against it, furthermore whoever they were, decided to use it for their advantage to make Harry become friends with the boy. The terrifying fact was: It would have worked. Harry would most likely had been alone in a compartment and easily to pick out. If not for an interference from maybe magic herself that caused Aliciel to go to that muggle zoo.

“Leave!” Harry grit out. His robes were steaming from unreleased flames. His hair bristled with magic, leaving his scar open to view.

“You are Harry Potter after all! You liar! If you keep doing that you will end up in Slytherin, the house of You-Know-Who and you will go dark!” That was it, slowly flames rose from the raven head’s robes, towards the ginger. The unnamed boy suddenly was in quite a hurry to leave the compartment, though not before screeching: “Elemental magic is dark! It’s forbidden! Wait ‘til I tell my brother the prefect about this!”

As if the flames had heard the boy, they started to spread through the room as if to tell him “see if we care that we are prohibited”. The fire engulfed everything. Once more – I guess- we have to thank a higher force for intervening, because Aliciel chose that particular moment to wake up from her comatose shock state. Seeing herself surrounded by flames her siren half acted on instinct – by flooding the entire compartment. (Later everyone would wonder where in Circe’s name all the water had come from, but at that time they were just happy to be alive) When the water, smoke and steam had vanished they left a scorched and drenched group of pre-teens.

“We wanted to come visit you and saw Weasley running away, do you need any he – what in Merlin’s name have you guys done the poor train?”

“Hello Blaise. As for the state of this place… we can explain.”

A few repairing and cleaning spells later had their compartment restored to its former glory. A few introductions later gave them all two new acquaintances: Theodore Nott, second heir to the House of Nott. Nott Senior was a notorious Death Eater who only escaped prison through bribery. Theodore “just call me Theo, it annoys my father” Nott heavily disagreed with his views, loved anything having to do with muggles just to defy his abusive father. Later on Theo had realized that muggle stuff really interested him and started to analyse anything he could get his hands on.

And then there was the curios case of Trace “Tracey” Davis. Trace also came from an old influential family whose younger generation had joined Voldemort’s army. They had fallen in the first war – or deemed untrustworthy with children - and Davis siblings were raised by a rather eccentric great-aunt. At the age of nine Trace not only discovered that he preferred to be perceived as a female, he also wished to distance himself from his parents’ political standing and had taken quite an interest in muggle society and pop culture.

Neville was dumbfounded. Of course he had heard of the scandalous announcement of Tracey’s gender switch. Personally he had not minded, though he was not exactly sure how to deal with… her. Sure, your gender did not matter, nor did your sexual orientation. It just was confusing because when he looked at Tracey he still could see traces of the boy with whom he once played in his family’s garden. But if Trace-y decided that being a girl suited hi- her better, who was he to complain?

Domus Unitas

Theo, Tracey and Blaise had excused themselves after half an hour, to return to the compartment they shared with Daphne and Millicent. Aliciel had gone with them, saying that she needed to tell them something. The rest had started a conversation about random topics.

The compartment door slid open for the fourth time that day to reveal four unknown persons. The front was made up by the irritating blonde from Madam Malkin’s and a pug faced girl. Their backs were guarded by two boys who could be half troll from the looks of it.

“Is it true?” the blonde said, “They’re saying all down the train that Harry Potter’s in this compartment. So it’s you, is it?” The boys grey eyes focused on Harry.

At that point Aliciel had returned and mouthed from behind of one of the troll duo: “Blow his mind, tell him Hermione is Harry Potter.” The blonde had a vindictive grin on her face. She had itched for an opportunity to pay back the rude comments their unwanted visitor had made about them. Hermione shook her head "no". No matter how tempting it was to trick the boy, it was unlikely to solve anything. And it would be a lie anyways.

“Yes indeed, he is Harry Potter, now that we have confirmed that could you please leave?” Hermione had heard from Harry just what the blonde had said about blood politics, so she saw no need to be overly polite to him and his cronies.

“Oh, Pansy, Crabbe, Goyle, look: A muggle has found their way onto the train.” A look of distaste was painted on the faces of all the intruders.

“Hermione is neither a muggle, nor muggleborn as you try to imply. Actually she could outrank you without even trying. She is heir to the Ravenscourt line and in less than a week she will also be heir apparent to the Ravenclaw title. So why don’t you follow wise advice from a clever witch and leave?” Now it was Neville who had spoken. He may have overseen the blatant disrespect of manners before but he would not have people insulting his friends.

“I didn’t ask you, Longbottom.”

“That is Heir Hufflepuff to you, Malfoy.” The now identified Malfoy tsk-ed.

“You will see Potter, some people are better to be associated with than others.” With that dubious statement the quartet left.

“I am surprised that he gave up that quickly. He normally is more persistent.” Neville sighed.

Aliciel pushed herself off the opposite wall and stepped into the room, closing the door behind her and charming it shut.

“What makes you think he gave up?”

“Huh?”

“The boy fancies himself a prince of Slytherin. He thinks it particularly sneaky to let us wane ourselves in safety. Most likely he will try to strike again in a more public place.”

“What an evil little cockroach.” As soon as the words left her lips Hermione slapped her hands across her mouth.

“It’s alright, ‘mione. Malfoys tend to be rather…arrogant.”

“Arrogant is making their egos seem so small.”

“Aliciel!”

“What? It is the truth.”

Domus Unitas

Harry was nervous. Although Aliciel had explained the sorting process to them – on a side note how did the founders had gotten the idea to charm a hat of all things to sort the children – Harry was still unsure of how it would all play out. He shifted around.

 _“Will you quit it? Calm! The! Hell! Down! All you have to do is put the hat on. He will do the rest. And if you are unsure just think about who you want to be. No matter what we already decided to stay friends. Houses do not matter.”_ Aliciel hissed lowly. Somehow sharing little conversations in Parsel always did wonders to calm Harry’s nerves.

The next person was called up, Millicent. Everyone expected her to be a Slytherin, most likely due to her Death Eater heritage. After a short period of Silence the head called: “HUFFLEPUFF”

Harry whirled to face Aliciel. “How did that happen?”

“What makes you think I know?” she asked innocently. Harry deadpanned.

“You talked to her and the others on the train.”

“I told her the exact same words I told you: Choose your house based on who you want to be not who you are.”

“Davis, Trace”

“RAVENCLAW”

At that point everyone in the hall decided to not be surprised by any more surprising sortings.

“Delphino, Aliciel”

_Oh. Not only from the esteemed Slytherin line but half siren as well. And what a devious mind. What ambitions. But wait, what do you say?...Whether or not you are truly suited? My dear girl, I may be old but I am not senile. I am pretty sure ol’ Salazar would be proud of you. So do not let anyone hold you back, make them realize just how much you are a_

“SLYTHERIN!”

At that point everyone in the hall decided to throw away their resolutions about not being surprised anymore. How did a non-wizarding name, a muggleborn get into Slytherin?

Professor McGonagall had no such dillema, mainly because she knew that anyone who underestimated the blonde would find themselves in a very grave situation sooner rather than later.

“Granger, Hermione”

_My name you ask? Oh my you do remind me of Rowena. Guess that makes two of you. As for my name it is Alastair… Purple magic? Ah, so you’ve seen the manipulation charms meant to make me sort you into Gryffindor. But do not fret, it would be a shame to put you anywhere but into_

“RAVENCLAW”

McGonagall smiled. The house of ravens truly suited her charge.

“Greengrass, Daphne”

“SLYTHERIN”

The sorting continued without many surprises.

“Longbottom, Neville”

_Eh, you are the third already. Gah. There are some very nasty people - I am sorry they cursed me to not be able to tell you anything - trying to make me name you a Gryffindor and while you definitely have the guts to do that, the way the lions are now they would crush you. But that does not mean you are weak. Remember boy, you are the earth. You need to keep your lunatic friends grounded. So in the end we both know the only house able to honour your unique talents is_

“HUFFLEPUFF”

“Malfoy, Draco”

 _So you fancy yourself a Slytherin, eh? Well, let’s see how you put up with_ her _in your year._

“SLYTHERIN”

“Nott, Theodore”

_Ah, lookie here. You’d certainly do well with either the snakes or the ravens. You can be loyal but only to those you deem worthy. And while your intellect truly is magnificent it is not what you want, is it? No. You want to stand above your father. And you have already taken the right steps. Quite brave. As brave as a_

“GRYFFINDOR”

Silence. Then a clap. From Aliciel. From Neville. From Daphne, Millicent and Tracey. From Hermione, Blaise and Harry and soon by the rest of Hufflepuff and Ravenclaw. Theo smiled. He knew it would be tough but he would heed the hat’s advice. Thinking about it, his friends always told him to be a bit more risking.

After a few more sortings came the name the whole hall had waited for:

“Potter, Harry”

_…Are you freaking kidding me? For years, decades, centuries, I thought the lines of my creators dead, dried up extinct and now you four come all at once? *sigh* Now then let me see. You have surely have it all in your head to be a Slytherin but you don’t exactly see yourself overruling anyone. And while you are clever and like to read, you tend to make more use of street smarts than book smarts. You are loyal and hard working. But after that family I think you deserve a house that treats you like a king. And a king you will be, because you know how prejudiced the lions have become. Hm yes, you are a lot like Godric. A lot. Well, show them what it means to be a_

“GRYFFINDOR”

Domus Unitas

_We are definitely in dire need of a communication device if we are all in different houses._

_Aliciel? How are you doing that?_

_The wonders of Legilimency. I am only brushing your outer consciousness so I do not penetrate your mental shields._

_Huh? I did not know that was possible._

_I did not either._

_You would- Aaah and the problem is I know you would. So what did you want to tell me?_

_Let’s meet tomorrow for breakfast in front of the great hall. I’ll tell Hermione you tell Neville._

_Ok_

With that Harry felt Aliciel leave his mind. He nodded to Theo. Over dinner they had bonded and had found that they had a lot in common. For one they both came from pureblood families. They both had been abused and had found solitude in reading. And they both had decided that Dumbledore was absolutely nuts and should not be trusted with children. Seriously, who tells a bunch of teens and pre-teens to not do something and actually expects them to follow their words?

Domus Unitas

Hermione decided that it had been an overall good day. Her house had accepted her, she had met two nice girls, Tracey and Padma, at dinner. And even though they had not been in the same house, the other heirs had arranged a meeting the next morning. Yes indeed it was a good day.

Unbeknownst to her Neville had made the same decision regarding this day. He had already caught up with his house mates and got along well with all of his year. To give the evening the perfect ending Harry had told him about a meeting before breakfast tomorrow. A good day coming to a perfect end.

Well, we all know the Hufflepuff and Ravenclaw heirs had it easy. But what of Harry and Aliciel?

The Gryffindors arrived at their common room without much mayhem. As soon as the portrait had closed however Ronald Weasley spoke up. “Sorry, but is it just me or is there is Slytherin in here? It smells really foul!”

Theo looked stricken. It was not unexpected but it is one thing to know it would happen. Another to actually have it happen. Harry put a hand on Theo’s shoulder and pushed forward to face the obnoxious ginger. “Everyone here is a Gryffindor. As for the foul smell maybe it comes from yourself? After all your character is already foul…”

“How dare you side with him?”

“I am siding with no one I am merely stating the facts.”

“What facts?”

“If you read even a bit in your school books you would know that Gryffindor is the house of courage and chivalry. From what I have seen Theodore Nott has more courage than any of us! He has decided to leave his abusive family behind and get himself sorted into another house than Slytherin, the only house they would have accepted! He did that knowing what they would do to him when he returns home for summer! That is brave! Do you know what it takes to stand up to not your enemies but your family? Your own blood?”

“Just because you are the Boy-Who-Lived you do not have the right to do this! You are lying!”

“About what?”

“Like chivalry, that is so uncool! Gryffs are the cool guys! Nott and his snakey friends are not cool! He does not belong here!”

“Why don’t we ask the founder of Gryffindor himself whether or not Theodore belongs here?” Behind his back Harry turned the ring three times in hand. Fortunately he had practised to call upon a certain soul over the last month.

“You called?” He was not extremely tall or muscled like legend made him out to be. Instead he was lithe and elegant, he looked like a swordsman, not a pro-wrestler. He wore his vivid red hair in a braid and his fringe was messy, partly hiding his cat like emerald eyes. A pale scar ran right above his left eye, clearly visible on his tanned skin. He wore a medieval lace up shirt made from white linen, a pair of comfortable black leather trousers and loosely laced up leather boots. His shoulders were covered by a crimson medieval cape.

“Indeed, sir. It seems that there is a dispute in this house that I am unable to find a solution to. I believe you have heard the facts?”

“Yes. And I am disappointed what has become of my house. Not only do they fail at being able to recognize the rightful Lord Gryffindor and accept his word as law, but they cannot see reason in the face of facts as well. I founded this house on my belief that chivalry and thus honesty is the highest good of them all. It was my goal to create a home for people who are brave and value good manners. But it also was meant to be a place where mischief makers could plan new pranks. Now I look upon my house and see a bunch of reckless idiots blinded by faith in a man who is biased and naïve. I see an old alliance broken. Slytherin house was a home to ambitious witches and wizards who valued intellect and cunning. To be honest the only conflict was the occasional prank war. All of you have failed house Gryffindor, have failed my heir and have failed me! Change yourselves, find back to what it means to be a lion!”

The entire house of Gryffindor was stunned into silence.

“I think you broke them.”

“I think so too, Harry. Oh dear. Promise me to make sure that they find back to their roots and do not hesitate to ask for help.” With that Godric Gryffindor left the plane of the living.

Domus Unitas

Aliciel and Daphne stood together in the dungeon common room. The half siren turned her head. Everywhere was Parsel script ingrained into the walls. “What do you see?” asked her friend.

“Around the fire place is a list of the house rules. Next to the prefects room is a recipe for a potion, signed by my grandmother. And above Professor Snape’s office door is an instruction for the right way of painting your nails.”

“Honestly?”

“No. It is a German poem, probably Goethe.”

“Don’t act like you can speak Parsel. You are just a mudblood, remember?”

_“Do not, I repeat, do not tell me what I can and what I cannot do!”_

All snakes – living and artificial – in the room raked their heads. Even the upholstery of the couches by the fire place came to life. _“There is a heir of Slytherin in the castle! Spread the word, the rightful heir has returned home!”_ One of the snakes supporting the gallery of the prefect rooms turned its head towards Aliciel: _“Does Mistress require us to get rid of the ferret boy?”  
_

_“No, not yet, he is much too entertaining to mess with.”_

And thus Aliciel dragged Daphne and Blaise along to the first year dorm, leaving an impressed group of Slytherins behind.

“They will fear you now. Since you know, it is kind of creepy to hear you hissing like that.”

“Yesssss, but I will make them respect me. And then I will make them worsssship the very ground I sssstand on.”

TBC


	6. In which problems are solved and new ones evolve

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Sorry.  
> Things got messy, because I had a mountain of longterm homework to complete and just as many exams to write. And of course christmas.  
> By the way happy Yule and merry Christmas.

“There, look.”

“Where?”

“Next to the lanky kid with the brunet ponytail.”

“The one with the green eyes?”

“Did you see his face?”

“Did you see his scar?”

Theo sighed. “One would think that as they do not have a life they try to compensate by gossiping about the life of others. Don't they have anything better to do?” Harry had been more than a bit annoyed when they had left the room on Monday morning. Theo had taken it upon himself to distract him with sarcastic commentary every time the whispers got too irritating. It worked so far.

After the dressing down of the lions Harry had been met with two types of responses: Either it was respect or loathing. A great example for the last category was Ronald Weasley. He had ranted all the way up to their dorm room and it was only a matter of time until he would resort to physical violence.

There was also one other type of reaction: Excitement. The type of excitement that makes other people run as fast as they can in the opposite direction.

_Flashback_

_“So you’re -”_

_“ - not only -”_

_“ - the Boy-Who-Lived,”_

_“But also – “_

_“Lord of Gryffindor?”_

_Harry and Theo were intercepted by a pair of twin redheads before they could retreat to the dorm._

_“Yes, that’s him and before you make him any more uncomfortable: He does not like attention because some light bigoted idiot decided to put him with abusive muggles, i.e. he became extremely shy. Now kindly get out of our way, our resident celebrity needs his beauty sleep.” Theo replied in an overly fake haughty tone of voice. Harry grinned. It felt good to have Theo have his back, the boy was Slytherin enough to understand the concept of sarcasm. Maybe, once he realized that he had nothing to lose anymore, since he was already sorted into the house of lions, he made the decision to thoroughly enjoy himself and take advantage of the Gryffindor traits, mainly: Bluntness. He could say whatever he liked, nobody expected anything else from a Gryffindor. However there was a line – a boundary – that should not be crossed and that was making Harry seem like some fragile little princess._

_“Now, Theo, be nice, we want the big bad lions to like us, don’t we?” Theo snorted, whether it was in amusement or indignance will forever remain undisclosed. “And yes, I am Harry Potter, Lord of Peverell, Gryffindor, Potter and heir of Black. However I would prefer it if you just called me Harry.”_

_“Well, then Harry”_

_“We are Gred”_

_“And Forge”_

_“or Fred and George Weasley. And yes we unfortunately do share blood with the angry pighead that just outed himself as an A class idiot.”_

_“So if you can overlook our poor clothing and pricky relatives, you can come to us whenever you need someone to pull a prank as punishment”_

_“Or distraction”_

_“Or aesthetical upgrade of certain individuals”_

_At that point Theo started muttering about the twins creating a headache for him with their “dualized speech patterns”._

_“Thank you Mr. Gred, Mr. Forge. In case you need to…loosen you family ties a bit I can always recommend Gringotts. As for pranks, I think Padfoot has supplied me with enough ideas to last a life time.”_

_“Gred, do you think he just said…”_

_“No Forge, I am sure you are wrong…”_

_“But if he…”_

_“Let’s just ask…”_

_“Did you just say Padfoot?”_

_“Yes he is my godfather. Best friend of my father, Prongs.”_

_“So he really is…”_

_“Indeed.”_

_“Then maybe…”_

_“Most certainly! Pull it out, Gred!”_

_Fred then pulled out a tattered piece of parchment._

_“Is that what I think it is?” Theo asked. Everyone looked at him. “The Marauders were legendary during my father’s school time. It was rumoured that they had a map that showed everything and everyone in Hogwarts.”_

_“As far as the map’s initial existence the rumours are true. Sirius told me about it. It activates when you tip your wand on it” Harry demonstrated said movement. “And whisper “I solemnly swear that I am up to no good””_

_Fascinated the two first years watched as ink bled onto the parchment, lining out the castle and its inhabitants._

_Flashback end_

  
And thus it came to be that the Weasley twins followed Theo and Harry down to breakfast where they were greeted by Hermione, Tracey and an unknown Indian girl, who introduced herself as Padma. They were soon joined by Neville Millicent and a third year Hufflepuff. The unfamiliar third year’s name was Cedric Diggory and the group soon came to the conclusion that there had never been a more kind-hearted and friendly person, except maybe Neville. Apparently through some mishap in the bathroom that morning Neville’s earth magic had shown through, hence announcing his Lordship of Hufflepuff. Cedric had seen the edginess in Neville when everyone cornered him and had taken it upon himself to make sure that gold diggers and fame seekers – apparently those types of people even existed in Hufflepuff – stayed away from the young lord.

While Tracey complained about having to sleep in the boys dorms and how uncomfortable that made her (she may have had the same anatomy but that did not mean they could shove a girl into a room full of boys!) Harry heard one of the portraits hissing behind him.

“ _Sssssspeaker, ssssssspeaker, where issssss thsssse othssser sssspeaker?”_ a female boa slithered through the portraits in the entrance hall.

_“Are you looking for me, madam?”_

_“Yesssss, milady hasss requesssted my assssissssstancsssse, assss thssssere issss a problem withsss thsssse sssssnakesssss, thsssey have cornered her after her disssssplay lasssst night and thssssey wishhhh to quessssstion milady. Sssssshe wantssss me to anouncssse thsssat sssshe issss going to be late.”_

_“Withssssss milady you mean Aliciel?”_

_“Yesssss, sssshe can sssspeak our noble tongue.”_

_“But I can as well”_

_“Yessss, I wassss coming to thssssat”_ snapped the reptile

_“Thssere have been many Parssselmouthssss during the csssenturiesssss. But thssey did not have thssse blood. And while you and the… othssser ssspeaker whom we do not talk of mossst cssssertainly have thsssse right blood you do not come from thsse right line. You are of lion blood and thssse othssser was from the disssssgrasssced line.”_

_“Why do you not speak of him?”_

_“He polluted thssse noble teachingsssss of our lord. He wanted to kill thssse mudblesssssssed.”_

_“Mudblessed?”_

_“Thosssse born of mud. Thsssey were gifted withsssss magic to create new blood linesssss. Thsssssey were deemed worthssssy and had ssssstrong magic. Thssssey were revered for thsssey were chossssssen by magic herssssself”_

_“Thank you for that information. Please deliver my greetings to Aliciel and tell her that all of us are ready to support her should the need arise.”_

_“Milady chossse her friendsssssssss well.”_ With that the snake slithered away.

“Guys.” Harry interrupter the bickering that had started while he was conversing with the snake. “I have just found the most interesting piece of fact”

“Do tell”

“Apparently the original Slytherin … ideology, if you want to call it that, stated that muggleborn are to be treated with respect because Lady Magic herself chose them to carry on her gift and create new family blood lines.”

A shocked silence followed after that. Soon enough the three Ravenclaw started muttering about looking up things about blood lines and inheritance and to make these facts public. The Gryffs and Puffs were elated, the pure blooded bigots had no longer any base to go on.

“Not so fast everyone.” Finally the Slytherin group had arrived. Behind them trailed the rest of the house in a respectful distance.

Aliciel, Blaise and Daphne looked pristine and dignified, something rather uncommon for the normally easy going Blaise. Instead of the messy black cock screw curls that made him normally look like a Greek Adonis, his hair was straightened and slightly gelled back (in a cool, business man looking way with a few strands falling into his face, not in the Draco Malfoy way). The business look was completed by his freshly ironed uniform, the black messenger back and the robe he carried over his arm. Somebody – aka Aliciel – had made sure that his tie looked immaculate and that all buttons were buttoned.

Daphne normally wore more colourful outfits, as her golden locks allowed her to wear any colour and still look amazing. Today however she had no accessory on her and her waist long hair was put into a medieval hairnet, leaving only a few curls to fall over her shoulders. No doubt Aliciel had her hands in this as well.

The heiress herself had her hair up in a bun that was held in place by a braid (A.N. a bit like Saber from Fate Zero) and wore her robes which now held the Slytherin shield. Instead of the skirt she wore black dress trousers. She had also substituted the common Mary Janes with black and white swing shoes for men.

In short the three first year snakes had bent the uniform regulations quite a lot it fit them extremely well and they all looked older than they were. Expect Aliciel, but what can you do when you are only as tall as a seven year old.

Now back to the conversation that Aliciel had interrupted.

“Who do you think would believe us? No one. These believes are old and twisted, we have to get steadfast evidence that Salazar Slytherin was not who is made out to be. And even then we have got to have certain reputations to even get heard. In the end nothing short of the great Slytherin himself standing up from his grave – and I do not mean the ghost like spectres the ring allows – would put an end to the blood racism. We have to wait and be patient. We cannot just…dump our beliefs onto them. We have to slowly change them. And what better place for this endeavour than Hogwarts? Please, I know how the power plays in Slytherin work, let me do the job a cleansing my families reputation.”

Nobody could argue with that, while they may understand the workings of their own houses, Slytherin was a black box, you need to be part of it to understand it.  
Later on they were introduced to Gemma Farley and Adrian Pucey, a fifth year and fourth year respectively, who had heard Aliciel talk Parsel in the Slytherin common room. At the mention of that debacle Aliciel broke into a full out rant, her cockiness from yesterday all but forgotten. It went a little like this:

“So much for flying under the radar. I mean honestly how stupid can you get? That stupid ferret boy was only provocating me AND I FELL FOR IT! How could I be so stupid? This is going to make things a lot harder from now on. Dammit, dammit I say…”

Judging from the calculating yet rather intimidated and respectful looks the Slytherins outside their mixed group were sending towards the blonde, her slip up was rather a blessing in disguise. But well that was only Harry’s gryffindorish opinion.

  
Domus Unitas

  
Severus Snape was confused. There had been many strange happenings and the first week was not even over.

Firstly there were now at least two Founder heirs in the castle. Mr Longbottom was reported to be a rather meek and clumsy boy. Yet the Hufflepuff Lord had deflected any jabs the potions master had made with gentle politeness. The other one, Lady Ravenclaw, had been announced at Wednesday. Some Slytherin students found it prudent to taunt the young girl for her muggle heritage.

_Flashback_

_“Professor, I believe a muggle has found their way into our school!” Pansy Parkinson announced. Her little troupe of gossips from the Slytherin lower years sniggered. Snape sighed. He overlooked study hall for the first years before luncheon on Wednesdays. He did not believe that some of his snakes would actually be stupid enough to disturb the peace and quiet for some petty insults. He was about to intervene however Mrs Granger was faster:_

_“Professor I believe a blind worm has found its way into our school disguised as a snake.”_

_“WHAT DID YOU JUST SAY?”_

_“Oh, you didn’t hear me? Are not only blind but deaf as well? Fine as I have nothing better to do, let me repeat my statement once more, just. For. You. I believe a –“_

_“I heard it the first time, Mudblood.”_

_“I believe the word you are looking for is Mudblessed, a respectful term to describe those born to muggles yet blessed with the gift of magic. In case you are looking for a more neutral name, just say muggleborn”_

_“How dare you talk to me? I am the future Lady Malfoy!”_

_“I know from insider sources that the Malfoys are about to reject the marriage contract, on the grounds of… I believe it was something along the lines of “the Parkinson Heiress is a menace to every family reputation as she inept in social gatherings, since she does not realize when she is talking to someone above her status.”"_

_“Even if it was that way, I am still heiress to a pureblood family!”_  
_Out of nowhere a strong breeze whirled all paper in the room up in the air. Snape felt the castle tremble with ancient magic, as the mini storm caused by elemental magic tore through the room._

_“Yes, unfortunately for your parents you are. However I am Lady – if you did not know that means Head of House – of the Ravenclaw family.” The brunet snapped her fingers and the Ravenclaw Ring appeared on her right thumb. “Which means: You are merely a little speck of dust under my foot and easily sweeped” (at that point Parkinson was swirled five feet of the ground only to land her behind on an ink bottle, which of course cracked and poured its content on the heiress’ homework and uniform.) “away, should you annoy me any further.” With that the now identified Lady Ravenclaw sauntered to his table, handed in her homework, did a sharp turn on her heel and left the room gracefully._

_Flashback end_

  
When he questioned the girl later on her rather – dare he say it? – Slytherin behaviour the Lady simply smiled and explained that she was “channeling Aliciel”. When he asked for further verification she told him how Ms Delphino had made her built up self-confidence against bullies. The described training methods seemed rather … dubious to Snape but they seemed to have worked without having caused any lasting damage, so who was he to question?

Speaking of the half siren that brought him to the third mystery after Longbottom and Granger: his snakes. They regarded the first year with great respect yet always had their investigating eyes on her as if they were looking for something. Of course he had heard of the incident with his godson. Draco had been reckless if not overly arrogant and quite stupid to challenge an unknown player. A player who carried the name of the sirenic royal family. And if Snape’s instincts did not trick him – and they never did – there was something else behind that carefully crafted mask of “Aliciel Delphino”.

And lastly there was another – most likely the biggest – mystery: The stupid lions had made a 180° turn and were now regarding anyone and everyone with politeness if not chivalry. It seemed as if someone had switched the old Gryffindor values back on. There also seemed to be a prank war going on inside the house. Of course there had been individuals that still stood out like a sore point. Yet they were shunned by their own house and earned the more malicious pranks. If a non-Gryffindor got involved in a prank they got scolded and their dorm mates apologized profusely and in a perfectly pureblood manner. It was all very strange. A pleasant strange but still… strange.

When asked all of the normally outgoing lions would clam up and state that it “was not their story to tell”. Even Professor McGonagall did not disclose any information of the internal happenings of Gryffindor house. Yet to Snape, who was a keen observer – once a spy always a spy – it was clear as day that the whole “Gryffindor back to the roots” agenda had a centre: Harry Potter.  
Potter, oh how he loathed that name. That bastard, that marauder, that good-for-nothing. And now his son – who was no doubt as arrogant and spoiled as his father – had come to Hogwarts. In his first potions class he had intended to humiliate the boy thoroughly. A plan thwarted by the correct and humble answers the boy had given. Severus then resorted to his last resort: He asked a N.E.W.T. level question about a potion created by himself and that would be out in the market in a few months.

Of course the boy had not been able to answer the question and Severus had made sure to make it seem like something a kindergarten child would know. The potion result Potter had handed in was a straight O. Something Severus had neither expected nor any clue how to deal with.

In the end he just put it on the ever growing list of mysteries these first years seemed to give him. Mysteries that dazzled him but after a long consideration he decided to let it rest and simply not question anything, weird stuff happens. Period.

So how was it that he was still surprised when he was knocked out cold out of the blue on an unsuspecting Saturday morning?

Domus Unitas

  
“You think he’s awake yet?” a voice whispered, he identified it as Theodore Nott. It was to his left and rather close.

“Well, considering that it Blaire can pack a punch if she wants to…” another voice – also to his left side - this one with a sultry Italian accent. Must be Blaise Zabini. And apparently a girl named Blaire could throw punches very well.

“Oh my god! We knocked out a teacher! A slightly unfair and unfriendly teacher, but a teacher nonetheless. Sweet Morgana, what have we done?” A frantic, near hysterical voice made itself known from behind him. Granger, no doubt.

“Calm down Hermione. You said there was the purple magic messing with Snape, I am sure he will forgive us if we explain the situation to him.” A calm and steady baritone – weird for a child – attempted to calm the frantic Ravenclaw. The operating word being attempted.

“But what if somebody comes in?”

“Hermione this is the Room of Requirement no one will come in if we do not want them to.”

“But we only just found this room because Aliciel remembered her grandmother’s diary mentioning it. We did not have enough time to test out the way it works.”

“Now that everyone has revealed their presence, why don’t you give up that sleeping act of yours, Professor Snape?” Aliciel Delphino’s voice said right next to his ear.

Domus Unitas

  
Severus Snape was furious. Someone had messed with his mind, making him forget about his reunion with his beloved sister, Lily and his reconciliation with the Marauders. Instead it twisted the familial love he held for Lily into romantic feelings. The same person also put compulsions on him to make him hate Harry Potter and blocked out his magic and soul mate. He also was imperio’d into allowing the owner of the purple magic to use the Prince seat in the Wizengamot. The list went on. So, indeed, Severus Snape was furious.

Once he had calmed down all three kids started babbling at once about how sorry they were about his assault and begged him to forgive them. After letting them squirm for a few seconds he simply raised an eyebrow and asked: “What assault are you talking about?” Because the compulsion free Severus Snape is just cool like that.

  
Domus Unitas

  
The weeks flew by. And soon enough the flying lessons and the hatching of the familiars drew near. On the morning of the first flying lessons Harry got a letter from Madam Bones which stated that Sirius’ trial would commence on the first of February. While that was a rather disappointing, it also gave them enough time to prepare for the trial and get Sirius up to date in manners and laws.

Soon enough the lions and snakes filtered out of the castle to their first flying lesson. Once more Harry was happy that Aliciel was next to him. The blonde had a calming presence and eased the Gryffindor’s nerves.  
Madam Hooch, their flying instructor bore strong resemblance to an eagle or a falcon. Her sharp eyes observed all of them, keeping them in line. When she instructed them to step next to the brooms and say “Up!” Harry was pleasantly surprised when his broom rose instantly into his outstretched palm. Unfortunately Malfoy’s broom rose as well. However Madam Hooch criticised his hold on the flight instrument, telling him that he had done it wrong all these years.

When the broom simply refused to react when Aliciel commanded “up”, Madam Hooch came over and asked whether or not the Slytherin was afraid of flying. “It is against my very nature, ma’am. I am half siren, a creature of water, the thought of floating through the skies with nothing but an enchanted stick of wood holding me there is nauseating.”

“Very well, you may remain on the ground. You others, step on your brooms. On the count of three you push yourselves up and float a bit, when I whistle, you will come back down again. One, two…”

At that moment, Ronald Weasley wanting to impress, pushed himself of the ground with all the force he could muster. Thus he shot into the sky uncontrolled, making his cloak catch the sword of a knight statue on the outer castle walls. While the class looked after the now wayward broom whizzing towards the forbidden forest, an ugly tearing sound and a smash could be heard. When they all turned around, Ronald Weasley was crumpled on the floor, whining.

“Oh, dear. That looks like a sprained ankle, nothing to cry over that excessively Mr. Weasley. Well then, let’s get you to the hospital wing. The rest of you stay on the ground, or you’ll be expelled faster than you can say “Quidditch”!”

Once Madam Hooch left, Malfoy broke into a sneer. “Did you see that wimp? So much for Gryffindor courage!” He and his peers (who only consisted of three people) broke into laughter.

“While Mr. Weasley certainly is a disgrace to his house, the same could be said for you, Malfoy.” Everyone went silent. Everyone turned to Aliciel. “The rule code of our house is very…explicit in what is done to members of Slytherin who insult other houses without being provoked and even more…severe about how a break of manners is to be dealt with. You just broke two of our house rules Malfoy, so implying that someone else is a shame to their dorm is rather hypocritical isn’t it?”

The platinum blonde, stepped extremely close to Aliciel, easily looming over her. “My father will hear about this, mix breed. And whilst we wait for you to get punished for your insolence, how about I take this?” with that he snapped the fragile silver chain that held Aliciel’s familiar egg. In one fluid motion he swaggered to his broom and took off. “What are you afraid of a little height?”

Harry stepped onto his broom as well. “Harry don’t, you will give him what he wants!” “He only wants to bait one of us into the air so he can rat us out to Hooch!”

Ignoring his friends’ worries he took off into the air. As he soared through the air he felt elated! Flying was something he did not have to learn! Flying was easy, flying was great! When he reached the blonde he pulled his courage together and screamed: “Give it back Malfoy or I’ll push you off your broom!” with that he charged towards Malfoy, only barely missing him.

“Fine then, if you want it that badly, catch it!” With that he threw the egg up in the air. Harry followed. Then egg started falling towards the ground, ten feet, eight feet, six…, four…, two…snatching the egg just before it hit the grass, he pulled out of his dive. Everyone cheered.

“HARRY POTTER!”

His heart sank faster than he had just dived. Professor McGonagall strutted over the lawn towards him. “Never in my entire teaching career! Follow me, Potter!” With that she marched back to the castle, with Harry following her though not before returning the jade egg back to Aliciel.

  
Domus Unitas

  
“Seeker? No way! You’d have to be the youngest player in – “

“Over a century, Professor McGonagall told me.”

“You guys haven’t seen him flying! The other houses don’t stand a chance with him on the team!”

“Theo, you traitor, abandoning your family’s house so easily?”

“Hah, as if you have room to talk, Daivs. And I’ll have you knowing that being a Gryffindor is very honourable! We even have found our manners again!”

“Wow a month with the lions and you are one of them!”

“Speaking of that, you guys never told us what brought on the attitude change of your fellow house mates.”

“Let it be said that a few words of a founder can do the most miraculous things. The rest of course is silence.”

They were at dinner, over the last few weeks they had started eating at the Hufflepuff table, they meaning: Harry, Hermione, Neville, Theo, Tracey, Cedric, the twins and Padma. The Slytherins of their group had wished to join them but they were not yet powerful enough to survive the social consequences in their house, hence the catching up with the snakes would take place in the Room of Requirement between dinner and curfew.

“Having a last meal, Potter? When are you getting the train back to the muggles?” Malfoy, now again backed up by his two cronies – whom Aliciel had dubbed as “the half troll duo” – sneered.

“You’re a lot braver now that you have your little friends with you.” Said Harry.

“I’d take you on anytime on my own. Tonight if you want. Wizard’s duel. Wands only – no contact. What’s the matter? Never heard of a wizard’s duel before, I suppose?”

“Rest assured that I am clearly aware what a duel between two wizards entails. After all as a Lord of three houses it would be rather unfortunate if I were to be socially inept. However I do not trust you enough to actually follow your challenge, so how about we’ll settle this at a later, less nocturnal date?”

“Scared, Potter?”

“Of course he isn’t! I’m his second, who’s yours?” snarled Theo.

“Crabbe. Midnight all right? We’ll meet you at the trophy room, that’s always unlocked.” With that the blonde sauntered away.

  
Domus Unitas

  
“Are you bloody stupid? It is obvious that he plans to get you both expelled!” Daphne screeched.

“Sorry, but that ferret always gets under my skin!” Theo complained.

“Guys, calm down, the potion isn’t yet spilled. Quite the contrary! We can use this to our advantage! Malfoy most likely told Filch that he will find students out of bed if he goes to the trophy room. With the Marauder’s map the twins so helpfully provided, we can get anywhere, even into let’s say…the forbidden corridor on the third floor?”

Hermione gasped.

“Don’t play innocent with me, Mione. I know you know that you want to know what the teachers have hidden in there! The only thing missing to make that scheme perfect is to get Malfoy into the trophy room. I bet he bragged that he got Potter expelled by luring him into the trophy room. If he instead gets caught it would knock him down more than a notch. I’ve got it! Fred, George, can you set up some dung bombs in the trophy room? Make it seem like Malfoy placed them there.” The twins nodded. “Blaise, can you place a note on Malfoy’s bed making him aware of the bombs? And let Harry sign it, that will set the little ferret off.” Aliciel snickered.

“Remind me to never, never, never ever cross you. You’re scary when you’re vengeful.” Commented Neville.

Hermione was still not convinced. “But what if get caught despite the map’s aid?”

“Hello? Have you forgotten Aliciel is a siren? She can just sing the memory of us out of the teacher’s head!”

“Good. Now, let’s put this to vote, those in favour?” Everyone raised their hand, the prospect of Malfoy getting caught rule breaking was just too tempting to pass up.

Domus Unitas

  
“It’s locked!”

“Oh for goodness sake, are you a wizard or not? Alohomora!”

“That is a first year spell, if they really wanted to protect whatever is in there, why only lock it so carelessly?”

“Well, this certainly does smell fishy.”

“I think this smells more like a canine.”

“Figure of speech, Daphne, though you are right it does smell like wet dog in here.”

“Maybe that’s what they meant with “most painful death”, you’ll die of nasal poisoning if you remain here for more than five minutes.”

“Veeeeeery funny, George.”

“Guys, shut up, or else you’ll wake it!”

“Wake what?”

Three seconds of silence followed.

“AAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAARGH!!!!!!”

The three headed dog began to surface from its slumber.

“Quick, music! It’ll make it fall asleep!”

“Aliciel!”

“On it!”

A harmonic melody flooded the room, calming the beast. Carefully they stepped back through the door and closed it.

“Seriously, what were they thinking? A Cerberus in a school full of children?”

“Oh Circe, haven’t you seen what it stood on?”

“Sorry, I was a bit preoccupied with its head, if you didn’t notice: It had three!”

“Don’t sass with me, Blaise!”

“Guys”

“Excuse me for panicking! We could have died!”

“Yes, I know but that is not an excuse to completely forget your surroundings!”

“Guys.”

“Well what did it stand on, if you see everything, Hermione?”

“It stood on a trap door!”

“You mean it really is protecting something!”

“Guys!”

“No they just put it there for fun!”

“Keep out of this Blaire!”

“Make me, Zabini!”

“GUYS!”

“What?”

“Ronniekins and his troupe are on their way here, they must have followed us from the common room.”

“Good, let’s get back to our respective dorms and discuss this tomorrow after breakfast. I am sure if we can find the owner of the dog, we can find its purpose as well. And bring your familiar eggs, they should hatch tomorrow. Goodnight everyone.”

“Goodnight.”

“Night”

“Buonanotte!”

TBC

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> 1\. If you have any ideas who should get which familiar, leave a comment stating name of the person and the creature and your reason for your choice.  
> 2\. Any other types of comments are appreciated as well.  
> 3\. I have rushed things a bit, because I just cannot wait to get to the second year.  
> 4\. Next update will come out tomorrow if my parents do not force too much social interaction on me.


	7. Halloween

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Short chapter, but a chapter nonetheless.  
> Read the notes at the end.  
> Disclaimer: If I owned Harry Potter why would I be writing fanfiction?

The next morning Pansy was in a good mood. The Parkinson heiress just knew that her Draco had managed to get that annoying Golden Boy expelled. And she provided him with the gossip to help him get his rightful revenge. That definitely secured her position as his future betrothed, no matter what Mudblood Granger said. The girl turned towards the hourglasses that held the house points.  
And let the fork she was holding clatter onto her plate.

The Slytherin hourglass was bare of any emeralds! Of course she was not the only one who noticed the 200 lost house points. Pansy turned towards their resident disgrace, Aliciel – what a silly name – Delphino. This point loss had to be her fault! When confronted, the filthy half breed merely smirked.

“I do not know what you are talking about, Heiress Parkinson. The only way to have such a decrease in house points is for at least three students to get caught outside their dormitories after curfew. It maybe slipped your mind but we do share a dorm room. It would have been impossible for me to leave my bed without you noticing, since I would have to cross your bed to get out of the room.”

“It has to be your doing! Who else could have lost our house that many points?”

“Well, maybe a student who was out of bed? If I do recall correctly wasn’t there a certain someone bragging how he was going to get two Gryffindors expelled over some bruised ego?”

“HOW DARE YOU DRAG DRACO INTO THIS? THIS ALL YOUR FAULT!”

“I am dragging no one into this, I am merely stating the facts. If theoretically the Malfoy heir got caught outside of bed, whilst trying to get rid of a person he considered an enemy it is not my responsibility. Thinking about it, what was he even doing out there? He knew there was going to be a teacher in the trophy room and still he went there…”

“I DON’T KNOW HOW YOU DID IT BUT THIS IS ALL YOUR FAULT!”

“Heiress Parkinson not only are you becoming repetitive but presumptuous as well! You are not able to prove your claims yet you still hang onto them, you rage at me without provocation. I do wonder what brings on such a hostility towards me? What have I done to deserve such crude behaviour towards my person?”

“THIS WILL HAVE CONSEQUENCES YOU DIRTY LITTLE HALFBREED!”

The whole Great Hall had followed the argument with great interest and had commented but now they were silent. Pansy took that as approval and screamed on.

“YES! FOR THOSE OF YOU WHO DID NOT KNOW YET: DELPHINO IS A HALF SIREN! HER MOTHER WAS JUST SOME SUPERNATURAL PLAY THING FOR SOME NYMPHOMANIAC MUGGLEBORN NO DOUBT! MAYBE HER MOTHER TAUGHT HER SOME TRICKS ON HOW TO PLEASE HER SUPERIORS?!?! I BET SHE WOULD SPREAD HER LEGS FOR ANYONE; DELPHINO?”

At that point Aliciel had stood up and was about to leave the hall. Pansy sneered: “I take it from you silence that I am right?”

A long suffering sigh slipped from the siren’s mouth: “No, Parkinson. I just do not see any reason to comment. After all, anyone who is stupid enough to believe you isn’t worth my time.”

When Blaise and Daphne caught up with their friend in the entrance hall, Blaise threw one last sad glance towards the hourglass.

“We kind of cut into our own flesh with that one, didn’t we?”

“Sometimes it is necessary to cut into one’s own flesh to remove an ulcer that had grown there.”

“Please be a bit nicer to Draco, he isn’t that bad. His father hasn’t exactly the best influence on him.”

“Oh, Lucius has a wonderful influence on him, I just need to take that boy’s ego down, right now he is too full of himself to be of any use.”

“How is it that you can do the most horrendous things to people and still make it seem like you are doing them a favour?”

“It’s called being Slytherin. You may want to read up on it, because you know…you’re in Slytherin as well.”

“Boohoo, Daphne, Aliciel is being mean to me!”

“Remind me again, why am I putting up with you guys?”

“I think it was for the power.”

“You once said I am good at making people look… I think the word you used was “fabulous”.”

“Ah…right. Good looks and power, not the worst reasons.”

Domus Unitas

The heirs were all gathered around a table in the Room of Requirement. It was warm and everything was covered in cushions, should one of the eggs tumble off the table, whilst the familiar tried to free itself from the shell.

Hermione felt a spike from Neville’s egg. She felt both auras – Neville’s and the egg’s – gravitate towards each other like a compass needle always turns north. One golden paw broke through the shell. Soon three other followed, giving the impression of an egg that had grown four legs. It scuttled around uncoordinated, which - for a lack of a better word – looked simply adorable. The Hufflepuff heir chuckled quietly. The egg then jumped and tripped right off the table. Now everyone laughed. The egg seemed to interpret the unfamiliar noises as mocking and tried to stand on his hind legs in an attempt to make itself look bigger. That of course failed and send the egg falling over onto its back, finally cracking the shell.

On the fluffy cushions – provided by Lady Hogwarts – laid an equally fluffy golden bear cub, its paws stretched upwards, as if it demanded to be picked up. Hermione saw the magic between Neville’s and the bear’s aura fuse and form something completely new, it was as if Neville’s aura that represented the earth - with its colours and its riches with the golden veins running through it – had been over grown with lush green grass, the colour of the bear’s aura.

Neville carefully picked the bear up like it was a fragile china doll. Something incredibly precious. Though, if her books were right, familiars were something only a soul mate relationship could compare to. So Neville’s treatment of his new born familiar was only logical.

There seemed to be a silent conversation between bear and boy. Soon enough Neville announced. “She says that she is a sky bear. Apparently a creature native to North America. Hermione, could I burden you with looking up on them? You are way better at research than I could ever hope to be.”

The brunet smiled. “Your flattering words will bring you far, Neville. Of course I will. My dossier about them will probably be ready on Monday. Maybe we should question the ground keeper Hagrid. I heard from an older Ravenclaw that he is very skilled with animals.”

As if on cue once Hermione had finished her sentence, her purple egg cracked. A silvery beak broke itself through the bronze swirls. A fluffy head soon followed. In no time at all a little raven baby hopped out of the remains of the egg shell. Its black-violet feathers seemed to have some strange patterns and the little beady eyes seemed full of knowledge.

“Damn, that was some fast hatching. My uncle has an owl farm, these never hatch that fast. The little raven must quite clever. Just like his mistress I guess.”

“Oh quit it, Aliciel you’re making me blush.” Just like Neville before her Hermione picked the little bird up, which began convulsing once she touched it.

“What is happening?” Hermione screamed.

“Hermione calm down, this is normal!”

“It didn’t happen with yours, Neville!”

“It’s the kind of raven it is. Soon after birth they split into two different beings.”

And Neville was right, after a barely thirty seconds two little ravens sat in Hermione’s hands.

“Someone explain this to me, or else I might freak out!”

“Those are Odin Ravens. The always come in pairs. One stands for thought and new ideas while the other for memory and preservation.”

“Odin…Ravens?”

“Yes. You see these little runes on their feathers? They basically tell anyone able to read them, that they belong to you and if someone messes with you, that someone messes with them as well. They are wickedly intelligent and ruthless should they think you are threatened. Once they’re grown up you’ll be able to see through their eyes. Some even say that they can help you communicate with ghosts.”

“Wow…”

“Yeah, that kind of sums it up.”

At that point Harry’s egg interrupted any further conversation as unexpectedly a pair of great black wings burst through the shell and started to attempt flying. The egg rose a few inches up into the air, only to crash right back into the table. A crack appeared in the shell. The process repeated itself until the shell finally gave in and a black lion cub fell onto the table.

“A Venetian Lion!?!” Aliciel exclaimed.

“A what?”

“The Lion of Venice. They are extremely smart and downright vicious when provoked. Watch out with that one, he’ll grow faster than you can blink and will most likely reach the size of a manta ray by the time you’re in sixth year and that’s excluding the wings!” Harry stared at the little kitty in his arms, barely bigger than a young bunny. The lion stared back as if to say “Duh”

“How in heaven’s name do you know the size of a manta ray?” asked Neville. Aliciel gave him a look similar to the one the lion was giving Harry, only the more amplified version.

Hermione interrupted the blonde before she could say anything degrading. “Well, now only your egg is missing Aliciel, what do you think it’ll be?”

“Oh, I bet it’s a snake!”

“No, it’ll be an aquatic animal”

“How about a sea snake?”

“My familiar who is yet to be named suggest a manta ray.”

“Tell your familiar to shove that suggestion where the sun doesn’t shine!”

“Aliciel! Language!”

CRACK

The jade egg burst into thousand little pieces. A flying, snake like form emerged and floated towards Aliciel. The creature had the same colour as the egg it just came from.

“Told you it was a snake!”

The animal came nearer and curled into the air, creating patterns and flying loops.

“Guys that isn’t a snake! That’s a Chinese dragon!”

“You have got to be freaking kidding me!”

“Aliciel! Language!”

“Okay then, before we end this meeting let us name our newly hatched partners.”

“Well, I think I’ll go with Nita? I heard that means bear in native American.”

“I am not sure. Both Leo and Aslan would work…”

“Why Aslan, Harry?” asked Aliciel

“I read “The Lion, the Witch and the Wardrobe” when I was young. It gave me comfort. The idea that maybe there was a gate to Narnia in the cupboard was kind of making it easier…”

“Name him Aslan then.”

“What about you Mione?”

“I think I’ll name them Corvus and Corax, they are two halves of a whole, and splitting the latin name for raven between them seems fitting. Aliciel?”

“Well, since he looks like he is made of Jade I thought of naming him Yù but that seems to simple for such a magnificent creature so I think I will go with the Japanese word: Hisui.”

Domus Unitas

Halloween rolled around rather quickly. Not much had happened after the hatching of the familiars. Sure, Harry had gotten a broom and started training but that was more of a chore than anything, especially with Oliver Wood as his captain.

Since Neville was widely accepted as Lord Hufflepuff, the badgers had no problem in letting the other houses join the table if Neville wished it. As for the Slytherins…the first year trio had made a show – a very subtle show but a show nonetheless - out of regaining the points Draco had lost, giving them a secure enough social standing to dine wherever they wished. And since word travelled fast there was also the assumption among the snakes that Aliciel Blaire and her friends were building contacts with the most influential people, which was Slytherin enough to not be questioned. The silver trio used that rumour to their advantage and finally joined the rest of their group at the Hufflepuff table.

“You know it does make sense.”

“What makes sense?”

“The dragon. In Asia it represents power and control. It also controls the water and is the bringer of good fortune.”

“And here I was, thinking it was because of Aliciel’s Asian facial features.”

“The aren’t Asian, they’re sirenic.”

“Keep telling yourself that.”

“Aliciel, Harry cut the bickering. Blaise, thank you for contributing that information and Hermione, why are you so quiet?” Daphne interfered.

“I had my first vision.”

“Oh, congratulations! What was it about?”

“That’s what’s worrying me! I dreamed this conversation already!”

“Oh really? Then already know that Draco –“

“is terribly afraid of his father. I told you I dreamt this conversation. Any minute now…”

“What, Hermione?”

“Spoilers…” the girl whispered. Everyone stared at her.

“If I tell you what’ll happen, it’ll change the course of History. I read that more experienced seers can do that, but I am still developing my abilities, so can you just stop questioning me when I say “spoilers”? I don’t do it to endanger you I just am afraid that it’ll turn out for the worse…”

“That’s alright. We don’t want you in danger either. Let’s just make “spoilers” your word, when you want a change of topic.” Hermione nodded at Gemma’s suggestion. Though tough looking, the girl had a soft spot for children who were younger than her. A characteristic that made her the perfect prefect.

“Well, fine. Aliciel what about your family? You never told us much about them. And since we need a change of topic, why don't you tell us now?”

“Well, I…believe I lack the emotional control to talk about that…subject…easily. I … I … I cannot!”

With that the blonde stormed out of the great hall.

“Aliciel wait!”

“Harry, stop.” Theo pulled his friend back. “Aliciel’s family situation is more than a bit messed up. And then there is the royal court of sirens. She has some national secrets that she has to keep. There’s a lot of stuff she literally can’t tell you. Give her some time and she’ll open up. Even Daphne and Millie don’t know half of the stuff that has happened. I guess the rule “what happens in Blaire Manor, stays in Blaire Manor” applies.”

“Okay, let’s catch up with her later…”

“Now” whispered Hermione.

Professor Quirrell stormed into the hall.

“Troll in the dungeon. Troll! Thought you ought to know.” whispered Hermione. Only to have her words repeated much louder by the panicked Professor who fainted immediately afterwards.

“He is just playing. He is trying to get into the third floor corridor.” Said Hermione sadly.

“The let’s stop him!”

“We can’t.”

“Why?”

“Because the troll isn’t in the dungeon.”

“Where is it?”

“First floor, girl’s restrooms.”

“Oh my god!”

“What do you mean? And why is that so bad, Daphne?”

“If you were a panicked Aliciel where would you go?”

“Somewhere private and close…a bathroom.”

“The nearest bathroom is on the first floor.”

“Oh my god! We have to hurry it doesn’t have to be too late yet!”

Domus Unitas

Aliciel Annabella Blaire-Delphino sat on the floor next to the washbasin. She had let the water run over the bowl, drenching her and creating a puddle on the floor around her. Inside of her head the memories she tried to supress whirled. The begged Lady Magic for something, anything to relieve that stress. She had tried everything the customary hitting of the head against the wall and hitting her temple to going through the class material for History of Magic, the most boring subject she could think of. Nothing worked. In the end she had started to form little scenes out of water, accompanied by Hisui. But soon the scenes build out of water where the ones she tried to forget. This was why she kept her birthday such a secret – she was relieved that everyone had forgotten – the memories always became too strong on Samhain.

A splattering sound could be heard. Aliciel’s nose picked up a horrible smell. She saw the troll’s club swinging towards her and did what every eleven-year-old would have done. She screamed.

Memory gap.

“Ms. Delphino! Oh great Morgana! What has happened here?” When Aliciel came to she stood in the middle of what had once been a full grown mountain troll. Professors McGonagall and Snape were fussing over her, she saw her friends. Hisui was next to her. The dragon was too young to be able to talk but his presence alone brought great comfort.

“To answer your question, Professor, I do not know what exactly happened either. I tend to get overemotional on Samhain and my magic gets out of control, the memories of whatever happened are washed away by my magic, at least that’s what the healer told me.”

“Well, be that as it may, you just took on an adult mountain troll, I think it would be best if you spend the night in the infirmary. Now then, everyone off to bed, Severus I trust you will want to escort Ms Delphino to the hospital wing?”

TBC

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> 1\. The sky bear and the Odin Ravens are thought of by yours truly, however based on legends I found.  
> 2\. My inbox is always open for comments and suggestions for pairings, they just won't happen until 4th year  
> 3\. Next update most likely next week (Quidditch, Nicholas Flamel, Christmas and the MOE)  
> 4\. Please comment


	8. Quidditch, Christmas and ... a mirror

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> exactly what it says on the tin

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Sorry. I suffered from a syndrome more commonly known as "writers block"  
> So I had to pull myself through along every little scene.  
> So here it is: Chapter 8 - bigger longer and uncut  
> (Do I have to tag that as a south park reference?)  
> and of course:  
> READ THE NOTES AT THE END

“At least eat something.”

“I’m not hungry.” Quite the contrary, he felt like his stomach was filled with some animal on a sugar high. Not a pleasant feeling. Not pleasant at all.

“Harry, you have to eat.” No he did not. Because if he did he would empty his stomach’s content onto the Quidditch field, that much he was sure of.

“Eat, Potter, or I’ll have Creamy feed you.” Okay not that was a much more convincing argument. Merlin knows that elf was feisty and unrelenting when it came to keeping her charges well fed. And she could guilt trip like no other, she even guilt tripped Aliciel into not drinking any coffee for a day.

Speaking of the siren’s caffeine addiction, now that she had no longer a motherly elf watching over her, the afore mentioned addiction had taken on a whole new level. Hermione, ever the worrywart, had picked up on that and now that she no longer had to worry about Harry, she got started on Aliciel’s case: “I don’t think it’s an overly thought through plan to drink that much coffee.”

“Hermione! That isn’t just coffee! It’s espresso! And look at it from my perspective: It keeps me running and makes me creative.”

“It keeps you running? When was the last time you slept? Wait, don’t answer that because you probably don’t remember anyways. On an even more alarming note, how exactly does ingesting great quantities of caffeine spurn on your creativity?” as if on cue, Pansy Parkinson entered the Great Hall.

Or someone who could have been Pansy Parkinson, if she had not worn a muggle playboy bunny costume, that looked way to big on her. She stumbled over the heels, which seemed to have a mind of their own, since they changed their length every ten seconds. Her hair was red and gold and a little bird fluttered around her singing “I’m too sexy” by “Right Said Fred”. Only that every time the singer was supposed to chant “sexy” Pansy’s own voice said “ugly”, which of course disturbed the harmony of the song. The students who had a connection to the muggle world spread the word about the true lyrics of the song, which of course pushed the hilarity of the whole ordeal to new heights.

Hermione’s expression contorted into a mix of great disturbance, even greater amusement and a hint of schadenfreude. She turned back to Aliciel: “You know what? Forget the health risk, if this is the result of all your espresso-induced bouts of insanity, I won’t even mind nursing you back to health should you suffer from the consequences of your addiction.”

“Where do you think the revenge scheme against Draco came from?” asked Daphne.

_Flashback_

_It was nearing dawn when the blond pureblood heir stumbled into the common room, platinum blonde strands askew, sweaty, covered in dust, grime and earth, with some nasty looking cuts on his hands and smelling like a dead animal._

_“Oh my god! What has Filch done to him? This is worse than all previous nights' results put together!” whispered Blaise, leaning over to Aliciel. Whilst he was at it he startled Daphne awake, who had fallen asleep around Midnight. They trio had decided to wait for the Malfoy heir and get some blackmail material in case the blonde tried to retaliate. After all having to clean out all unused corridors – which was going to take a while, since this is Hogwarts we are talking about – was definitely something worth to get revenge for. And after Draco had stumbled into the common room on the night he had been caught, greeted by the sight of his three rivals laughing their heads off, it had been clear to the Malfoy heir just who was responsible for his misfortune. It had been a risk to let him know about that particular detail but it was so much more rewarding to see Malfoy struggle between coming to terms with having been tricked and getting help from Professor Snape while on the other hand he stayed dead silent, since he had been tricked by someone whom he considered “beneath him”. And who would have believed him anyway? The trio had incorruptible proof that they had been in their dorms at the time Draco had snuck out._

_Flashback end_

“The memory of that particular night still makes me smile.”

“Oh, yes and he hasn’t even got out of the dungeons yet!”

“Maybe we can use this opportunity even further to our advantage by making him interested in a certain corridor on the third floor…”

“Oh, yes! He has better connections to people who might know something, let’s say…a potions master?”

“You mean the same potions master, who limped after Halloween because he got a nasty dog bite?”

“Of course, and he has a father on the board of governors…”

“Indeed.”

“Wait a second…Snape was limping?” pressed George.

“Indeed he was.” confirmed Hermione. “He tried to stop someone from entering…” she explained further. “But I do not know who. But I am sure that whatever these protections are for, it is not there yet. But it will be, by Christmas. Right now it already is in the school but somewhere protected from seer’s eyes.”

“There is only one place like that in Hogwarts…” started Fred.

“The Headmaster’s office” chorused everyone, turning the attention of the entire table to them.

A few awkward laughers and stuttered excuses later they went back to their discussion. “So maybe this is not a school thing but rather a personal favour of Dumbledore’s to a friend.”

“Does he have any friends?”

“I’m sure I could find out.”

“Good, Hermione, you do just that. Until then, Harry don’t you have a Quidditch match to get to?”

Domus Unitas

“I am putting out a vote that we do girl stuff every time another Quidditch game rolls around. I know this is supposed to be exciting but I do not see any sense in it, this is utterly ridiculous.” Daphne groaned.

“I agree. This all just seems like an excuse to indulge in reckless flight manoeuvres. I do not know what you mean with “Girl Stuff” but it cannot be any worse than this.” Hermione added.

“Indeed, anything rather than this.” Tracey admitted. Padma nodded along.

“This is just a disgusting mix of bravado and adrenaline. I only went here, because everyone said that Quidditch is exciting. This is a more than sore disappointment. What about you, Aliciel?” asked Millicent.

“Guys, the mere thought of flying is nauseating to me. I am here as moral back up for a certain friend of mine who is having his first game today. Had I known the stands would be this high up…urgh I think I am going to be sick. This is not good. Oh Merlin, it’s so high… Not good, definitely not good. I'm going to be sick. And then I'm going to die.” came the mumbled answer from the shuddering mess that was Aliciel Blaire. Once they had taken their seats in the stands the rose blonde had rolled herself up inside her robes and had started humming to herself hoping to somehow calm herself down. It had not worked very well.

Aliciel’s rant came to an abrupt stop when a collective gasp went through the crowd: Harry was dangling on his Nimbus 2000 by one hand. The broom was rocking like a stubborn horse, being ridden for the first time.

The shock of seeing her friend in danger finally pulled Aliciel out of her height induced misery: “Oh no! I know what is causing this! Whoever the caster that is quite a feat of dark magic up there!”

“You are right, nothing else could mess on such a scale with a broom of that quality!” agreed Blaise.

The broom shot out of reach when the twins tried to help Harry onto one of theirs.

“Guys, I got a read on the magic, it is a wild mix, which is why it took me so long! First of all, Snape is trying to save Harry, his inky black aura is fighting the gross concoction of different magicks clinging to the broom. Said concoction is based on a weak greyish magic, which is heavily laced with a dark aura similar to Aliciel’s – no offence…“

“None taken. Carry on.”

“The dark magic is guiding the weak one, however the actions are manipulated by…the purple magic!” Everyone gulped.

“Right then” Neville startled everyone out of the frozen terror caused by the happenings on the field. “Anyone with binoculars, please take a look through the staff ranks, I believe this is where our culprit would most likely be.” Theo, Blaise, Cedric and Gemma immediately started to survey the stands.

“Hermione, could you ask the Ravens to…do something? Anything?”

“I will. My house is quite effective when it comes to quick spreading of information. They are most likely already informed. I think it is amazing how… reasonable they were once I presented the proofs of my familial connection to them. But I guess that is how Ravenclaws are, logic is put above all. It really is refreshing to be surrounded be by people like me…”

“Hermione, you are ranting again…We should hurry.” Neville tried to gently cut off her speech.

“Why?” the brunet looked at him like he had just grown a second head.

“Because Harry is in danger?” Neville relented, wearing a similar expression, if not a bit more exasparated one.

“But only for another five minutes. Then we will have over powered the teacher responsible for this. Whom we will find in approximately 10 seconds.” Hermione pouted.

“And you didn’t tell us why exactly?” asked Blaise, looking about ready to face palm.

“…Spoilers…”

“Well, she is right, look at Quirrell!” exclaimed Theo. And right he was: The normally stuttering Professor stood right behind Snape, whispering, eyes fixed on the Gryffindor seeker.

Aliciel saw red. “How dare he?” hissed the half siren, lifting her wand.

“Woah, woah, woah! Aliciel! Deep breaths. Let’s not do something rash, okay?” intervened Neville, pushing the furious rose blonde back into her seat.

“I have an idea!” Hermione burst out: “I could use my wind magic to carry Aliciel’s voice, over to the teacher’s stands. With a bit of luck it should shake Quirrell out of his concentration and give Harry enough time to get back onto his broom. Also that way Aliciel does not have to reveal any new…familial information.”

The stands fell silent when soft wind carried a song with it. A song in a language unknown to mankind. But a song beautiful and harmonious, powerful and varied as if sung from a thousand throats. Everyone stopped and listened in awe. Everyone but two teachers, one who tried to kill a student, the other trying to save him.

“It isn’t working” whispered Theo. Hermione leaned down to whisper into Aliciel’s ear. The blonde looked at her friend disbelievingly. A bit more loudly, Hermione answered: “If Quirrell is possessed by whom I think he is possessed that song should totally throw him off balance. And I know that you love Disney.”

“Did you know that he was a sqib and decided to share the wonders of magic with everyone in a way nobody would ever suspect anything, but that would make them get used to the idea so that one day they might be used to it enough that they would not attack wizards if they find out about the wizard kind.” Added Theo, whose muggle obsession often provided useful facts.

“A noble goal for a noble man, now use your noble voice and sing them into the ground.” encouraged Daphne.

“Fine, but why can I not simply make them forget everything?”

“Because that would affect everyone and if we “delete” this incident we cannot research it! Now use these vocal chords. AND SING!” hissed Daphne, finally done with Aliciel’s reluctance.

“I hate you guys so much right now…” muttered the still sulking half siren. But nevertheless started to sing (A/N: I love this song, which is why I have written it out completely. Sorry. Just skip if you don’t like, this is the one indulgence for this chapter.):

“You think I’m an ignorant savage. And you’ve been so many places,  
I guess it must be so, but still I cannot see,  
If the savage one is me.  
How can there be so much that you don’t know?  
You don’t know…  
You think you own whatever land you land on. The earth is just a dead thing you can claim.  
But I know every rock and tree and creature, has a life, has a spirit, has a name!  
You think the only people who are people, are the people who look and think like you!  
But if you walk the footsteps of a stranger, you’ll learn things you never knew you never knew!  
Have you ever heard the wolf cry to the blue corn moon, or asked the grinning bobcat why he grinned?  
Can you sing with all the voices of the mountain, can you paint with all the colours of the wind?  
Can you paint with all the colours of the wind?  
Come run the hidden pine trails of the forest! Come taste the sun sweet berries of the earth!”

“She can stop now, it’s working!”  
“Shut up, this is a once in a blue moon chance to hear her sing a title we can actually understand!”  
“Keep quiet you two, I want to listen!”

“Come roll in all the riches all around you! And for once never wonder what they’re worth.  
The rainstorm and the river are my brothers! The heron and the otter are my friends.  
And we are all connected to each other, in a circle in hoop that never ends!  
How high will the sycamore grow?  
If you cut it down, then you’ll never know!  
And you’ll never hear the wolf cry to the blue corn moon for whether we are white or cooper skinned,  
We need to sing with all the voices of the mountain, we need the paint with all the colours of the wind!  
You can own the earth and still,  
All your own is earth until,  
You can paint…with all the colours of the wind”

High up above the stands Harry had regained control of his broom and sped into a steep dive, following a walnut sized golden ball. The still shell shocked stadium stared in awe as the youngest seeker in the century pulled out of a fifteen feet dive and held the snitch over his head. In that moment it did not matter that they had found another trace of the purple magic, it did not matter that a there was a possibility of Lord Voldemort being in the castle, there was only one thing that mattered: Gryffindor had won the game.

Domus Unitas

“So, what about the vote? Quidditch or girl stuff?” asked Daphne when they were heading back to the castle.

“I am never ever going to set foot into that stadium again!” Tracey burst out. Aliciel hummed in agreement. Once the euphoria of having saved her friend had worn off the half siren had returned to the agoraphobia ridden bundle of nerves she had been before. The poor girl still looked sort of green.

“Agreed! I do not think I can survive another bout of this insanity!” Padma said, earning a nod from Millicent and Hermione.

“Well, that concludes the issue. We should look for a nice room, the Room of Requirement is far too obvious for the boys if they want to drag us to the game. Does anyone know of an abandoned girl’s restroom?”

Domus Unitas

The after-game party was over around Midnight. Slowly Harry and Theo ventured up the stairs, silently closing entering the dorm.

“Think, guys, Hagrid practically admitted that whatever Fluffy is hiding came from Gringotts and has something to do with Nicholas Flamel.”

The door fell closed. The three boys turned around to see Harry and Theo standing there. “What are you doing here?” barked the ginger.

“Maybe your degenerated brain hasn’t processed that information as of yet, Weasel, but we live here.” Snarked Theo.

“Leave them, Theo, they’re not worth it.” With that the two friends went to shower.

Leo – Harry’s familiar if you do not remember – stayed a while longer, in his first month he had grown to the size of a Labrador and for three first years he was quite intimidating.

Well, they do say that some loose every bit of intelligence when confronted with fear. Maybe that is why Ronald Weasley decided to scream “I’m not afraid of you, you overgrown kitty!” Leo just gave a dead pan look.

Harry emerged from the bathroom: “He wants me to say, that first of all, he is proud of you for having learnt such a big word like “overgrown” just that next time you should use it in a right context, because he is nowhere near a quarter of the size he will be when he is fully grown.”

With that the Gryffindor Lord and his familiar went to bed, perfectly content with their day.

Domus Unitas

“Nicholas Flamel?” asked the twins. The next day at breakfast

Aliciel, Blaise and Hermione started talking at once. “Woah, calm down you three. Please, Blaise start, Hermione you go next and Aliciel, if you don’t mind, please speak last.” said Harry.

“Well, I know from my mother that Flamel is a famous Alchemist. And Dumbledore's chocolate frog card mentions him, now that I think about it.”

“I found out that Flamel and Dumbledore were friendly with one another but rumour has it they had a falling out some years ago. Flamel’s work is focused on the main goal of Alchemy: The Philosopher’s Stone. He is the only known person who can create it. He and his wife are around 600 years old.”

“I bet Dumbledore’s hiding the Philosopher’s Stone!” exclaimed Tracey.

“But they had a falling out.” Commented Daphne.

“Maybe they made up? Aliciel what do you know about that?” Neville turned to the thoughtful looking blonde.

“For one, while Dumbledore managed to mainly conceal in Britain that he and Flamel had a falling out, the quarrel is quite famous in France, Italy and the rest of the Mediterranean wizard community. Flamel is somewhat of a philanthropist and there are speculations that their falling out was about that. Anyways, I only know about Flamel because he was the one who helped my father assume a permanent human form.” Said the rose blonde still looking lost in thought.

“What is bothering you, Aliciel?” inquired Daphne.

“I cannot wrap my mind around a possible reconciliation between Dumbledore and Flamel. What if, Dumbledore…unrightfully changed the location of the stone.”

“You mean he stole it?” hissed Harry.

“Maybe you could write him about the possibility of the Philosopher’s Stone in the castle?” suggested Neville to the siren, hoping to calm everyone down before they went on a rampage.

“I will but the answer might take a while. The Flamels get a lot of mail…” Aliciel explained looking worried.

“Back to the topic: There is a possibility that there is the Sorcerer’s Stone in the castle?” hissed Blaise.

“Huh?” asked everyone.

“Both terms – Philosopher’s and Sorcerer’s Stone - mean the same essence that can turn any metal into gold and produces the Elixir of Life, which makes you immortal.” Muttered Blaise, as if that much should be obvious.

“Which would explain why somebody’s trying to steal the stone. So that means we are looking for someone who wants to be immortal – because becoming really rich isn’t worth that much risk – and who is desperate enough to break into Gringotts and now trying to steal the Stone inside of Hogwarts.” Reasoned Hermione

“Someone who is desperate to live…” Theo mused.

“No…” Hermione said. “Someone who is desperate not to die.”

“I don’t think I see the difference.” Admitted Millicent.

“Someone who is desperate not to die, is someone who clings to life. He is not in the risk of losing it, but terrified to die. Someone who flees from death.” Explained Hermione.

“Vol de la mort. Voldemort. Shi- I mean: Sugar Honey Ice Tea, that fits!” cursed Aliciel.

Harry paled. “Please tell me that you are not trying to tell me that Voldemort is in the castle.”

“Let’s have a look at the map!” chorused the twins. “We take a look at Quirrell and have certainty.”

Harry’s hands shook. Aliciel put her hands on his: “It’ll be alright. We are here with you. Professor McGonagall and Professor Snape as well! He cannot harm you.” Harry looked around their little group. With a sigh he pressed his hand flat onto the parchment – thank wandless magic – and whispered “I solemnly swear that I am up to no good!”

There was no name above Quirrel’s. Nobody knew what to make of that. Hermione sighed, “Maybe there is not enough of his soul left to see? Because I definitely feel the same vicious magic from him like in the game. And it’s not his own…”

The whole breakfast became a sullen affair after that.

Domus Unitas

The months until Christmas dragged on. Nothing much happened while everyone tried to avoid Quirrell. Leo grew even taller and thus more intimidating. As the lion grew he gained the ability to speak outside of his telepathic connection with Harry, something that helped conversations along. Corvus and Corax started talking as well, or rather they did not seem able to shut up at all. Neville’s familiar, Nita, also talked, but only when she had something important to say.

And then there was Hisui. The jade dragon had neither talked to anyone nor acknowledged Aliciel as his partner. Most of the time the dragon ignored everyone around him. When Aliciel had questioned him if she was lacking anything or if the incident with Malfoy had affected its growth thus making Malfoy his partner, the dragon had only hissed in distaste when Malfoy was mentioned and had flown away. That left the half siren in confusion: The dragon had gotten along with her pretty well before Halloween and had done a 180° turn in attitude after the troll incident. What had happened?

After another few failed attempts of talking to the dragon, the heiress had given up talking to her familiar and left him alone.

Domus Unitas

It was the evening December 24th and the group consisting of the Founder’s heirs, Padma, Tracey, Millicent, Blaise, the twins and Theo were all huddled together in the Room of Requirement. They had decided to celebrate Yule – the festivities started on December 21st and went on until the end of February, though the main celebration took place around the 21st - in order to help the muggle raised students to understand wizarding culture better.

Of course, there had been a huge debate on how Yule should be celebrated. Practically every family had a different way to celebrate Yule and there were dozens rituals that could be completed (please note that every single one of these rites had at least another dozen variations, to make a long story short, it was a mess). The darker oriented families insisted on sacrificing an animal to Lady Magic, while the Light Families insisted that doing so would only ignite the wrath of the Giver of all Life (which apparently was another form of Lady Magic) and that they should only offer her nuts and fruits.

Hermione and Harry had turned to Neville to help them understand the subject of the argument. The Hufflepuff heir shrugged “My Grandma couldn’t celebrate with me, because the rest of my family are almost rabid followers of Professor Dumbledore who has qualified these celebrations as dark magic. With his influence in the ministry, following the old traditions had become a legal grey zone. What we are doing here is borderline illegal.” When Hermione gasped, Neville placated her by mentioning, that there is no law or school rule being broken by their endeavour.

A sudden “ALRIGHT THAT IS QUITE ENOUGH!” broke up every single argument in the room. Aliciel stood on a table, her arms raised – for once towering over everyone – and hair askew from trying to break up an argument between Daphne and Blaise.

“Now that I have your attention, I have a proposition to make. We will not be able to celebrate every single ritual. And I do not believe this to be necessary either. Yule is the day when we welcome the sun back, as it is around the winter solstice. We also use this date to pray to lady Magic and form new resolutions for the coming year. Just because we missed out on Samhain, we do not have to go overboard with Yule. I am certain that Lady Magic has seen what has occurred in this school and can at least understand what has caused us to neglect our duties to her. Hence I believe it is completely sufficient to decorate an altar and welcome back the sun. As there are many different ways to go through with the second ritual I believe it would be best if we simply light the four candles and pray to the All Mother and tell her of our goals for the coming year. Now then, those in favour, please raise your hands, those against, please give a better solution.” With that the vote passed unanimous.

Theo and Tracey started explaining how to set up the altar, while Harry helped Aliciel set up the candles. _“What is bothering you?”_ asked Harry, the rose blonde looked startled.

_“There is nothing bothering me. Everything is nice and dandy.”_

_“Then why did you choose the Gryffindor approach? Standing on a table…honestly, that is completely out of character. Sure you can be extremely insulting but you aren’t screaming your insults, to be honest I haven’t seen you yelling in all the time I have known you, and we have been together almost 24/7 for the last nine months.”_

_“You know me way too well…”_

_“That isn’t an answer.”_

“Hey, are you guys finished? Because we would like to start. It is getting quite late.”

Domus Unitas

Harry felt…unleashed. His magic was wide awake despite the late hour. He felt like he was walking on air. “Sheesh, mate, calm yourself, you need to get your flames under control, you have almost burned me twice.”

“Sorry, Theo, Fred, George, maybe I should not have prayed for a better connection to my magic. I just thought it would help me to learn better control of my flames so that I can actually use them in case of an emergency.”

“What makes you think we are going to have an emergency any time soon?”

“That thing with Quirrell and Aliciel seems worried about something as well.”

“Oho, worried about your wife?”

“My what?”

“Your wife, I mean you guys practically do everything together. You always sit next to each other at meals, in shared classes and the library and that one time you had a horrible nightmare she had already sneaked into the dorm room and you guys slept in one bed! I mean seriously, I am kind of your best mate and I know you enough to say that you guys revolve around each other.”

“Nonsense!”

“Oh really? And who is always helping Aliciel out when she gets fits of acrophobia? Or is about to majorly mess up a light natured spell? Who was the one who swallowed her pride and sang “Colours of the Wind” of all songs in front of the entire school just to save your hide? If this isn’t love I do not know what is!”

“We are just really good friends, Theo, it is just that we have a good understanding of each other, although we are very different.”

“Keep telling yourself tha- OW! You burnt me! Again!”

“And you know you deserved it!”

“For Merlin’s sake I was just teasing you!”

At the same time in another part of the castle, Hermione Grange aka Iris Ravenscourt, excused herself from the company of her friends and slid out of Ravenclaw Tower. Carefully she slipped through the castle to finally arrive at the entrance to the dungeons. She hesitated for only one second. Then she straitened up and walked towards the potions classrooms. After all, the person who was most likely able to help her in her endeavour was probably there. Now then she only had to get past the Slytherin dormitory without getting caught by a certain rose blonde…

Unbeknownst to Hermione her worries were unfounded. Because the blonde she worried about was still in the Room of Requirement after having cleaned the room. In an action very out of character, she had slumped against the wall and slid down to lay on the ground.

 _Harry knows me too damn well,_ she thought. The last weeks had worn her down, first she had missed out on maiming a mountain troll all by herself and then her familiar had rejected her. _Stop thinking about that, Blaire, you won’t be of any help to Harry if you…wait since when is this about Harry? He is just someone you helped because nobody else would. Just for entertainment._ A mental pause. _Keep telling yourself that, Blaire, you know very well that Harry as has long past the line of “just an entertainment” he is your friend. Maybe even your best friend._ Remarked a voice that sounded a bit too much like her grandmother. A sigh escaped the blonde’s lips as she sat up once more.

“You look horribly troubled, child.” Aliciel looked up. Next to her the Room of Requirement had created a portrait that showed a picture of a young woman. She had ornately pinned up dark brunet hair and startling blue eyes like freshly polished sapphires. She wore old fashioned dress robes, which looked a lot like a Victorian gown. The skirt of her dress was made of a truly stunning amount of tulle and silk, it fell in many layers, pooling around her, as they were over length. She looked like an older, calmer version of Hermione.

“Am I right to assume that you are Lady Rowena Ravenclaw?”

“Of course. And you are Aliciel Annabella Blaire Delphino, heir to the House of Blaire and ambassador of the seas. An old friend of mine has requested me to console you, as right now he is unable to do so.”

“If the “old friend” you are talking about is the person whom I think he is, then at least half of worries have already vanished.”

“How come?”

“I am under the impression that Salazar Slytherin has requested you to…help me with my worries? And thus the theory I had about me being unworthy of Slytherin or incapable of leadership - as my familiar who is a symbol of imperial power has rejected me - has already been proven wrong as I doubt that Lord Slytherin would bother with someone undeserving of his attention.”

“Oh my, he told me you are sharp but this is quite surprising. And indeed, he has asked me to tell you that everything will be alright, though he said so in more words. Salazar is quite satisfied with your progress so far. And he also said “What good is it to be resourceful and cunning, when you do not have anyone or anything to fight for than yourself? Schemes are something to be used on enemies and while it is good to have allies, having friends is even more important. Yet what use are friends if you do not let yourself relax around them? No one, least of all I, Salazar Slytherin, expects you to be perfect, proper and cunning all the time. You do not need to have an ace up your sleeve all the time. It is alright to sometimes just jump down rabbit hole and see where it gets you. Though not before you have crossed out all other possibilities. Recklessness is such a Gryffindor trait anyways…” at this point I want to mention that his voice was laced with the sarcasm you snakes are so fond of. And he wanted to know if I should tell you the location of the Chamber or if you rather find it yourself.”

“Thank you, Lady Ravenclaw and please if it is not too much of a hassle could you also relay my gratitude to Lord Slytherin? As for the Chamber’s entrance, I would rather find it myself, because while knowing the location now might be of advantage, it is a long standing tradition in our family for each new student at Hogwarts to find the entrance themselves.” Normally she would have followed her elder siblings but they went to Beauxbatons and the last one to graduate from Hogwarts was her grandmother (from her maternal side, her paternal grandmother was much, much older) in 1940 and said grandmother had died in … that incident...

“Very well. I believe Salazar will be more than happy to know that he has helped you out. Good Yule, young snake.”

“Good Yule, Lady Ravenclaw.”

Domus Unitas

On Christmas morning, Harry stumbled down the stairs to the common room, practically the whole school had went home. On the couch next to the window, right where the early morning sun shone through the glass, laid Aliciel Blaire.

From the months he had lived with her, Harry knew that her worries even plagued the siren when she was asleep, but now she had a content smile on her face. It seemed like her worries had been lightened at least a little bit. Harry saw a green flutter from the corner of his eye. Hisui. But why had the familiar sought out Aliciel? He had avoided everyone.

The dragon, similar to Leo, had grown quite a lot over the last two months. He now easily reached the size of the boa constrictor Harry had freed on the day he first met Aliciel. Hisui gently curled himself around Aliciel, then turned his head towards Harry.

“Why have you been this distant?”

The dragon growled. “Someone had put me under a spell to emotionally devastate my lady. I could only free myself with help from the burst of magic milady's Yule Prayer gave me. It was a disgusting purple magic, which made me lose my mind. Still, I cannot stop feeling horrible about this whole ordeal.”

“Say no more. That person had already committed several unforgivable crimes. I am certain Aliciel will forgive you.” The dragon grumbled happily, waking Aliciel up in the process.

“Hisui? But how? Why? Is this some kind of dream?” the blonde mumbled sleepily.

“Let me say two words: Purple magic.” The half siren grumbled, pulling the jade dragon closer to her.

“How dare they!” she hissed.

“Calm down Aliciel! All that matters is that everything is alright now. Hisui is safe.”

They were interrupted by the group of Slytherins and Hufflepuffs who had stayed at the school. They had decided to meet after breakfast for the gift exchange. Since the Room of Requirement was so far off if you went there from the Great Hall, they had decided to have a Christmas party in the Gryffindor common room because it was by far the most comfortable to reach, the most students had went home and – this was the criteria that had been the most important – it was the warmest of all four dorms.

Not five minutes later the snakes and badgers, Padma and Tracey arrived. When questioned about Hermione, they explained that Hermione had disappeared last night and had returned after they had gone to sleep. Once morning came they had decided to let her sleep a little longer. She would probably join them soon.

Domus Unitas

It was overwhelming, especially for Harry who never had gotten any Christmas or birthday presents. He had gotten several wizard sweets, a chess board from Theo and Blaise, from Neville, Millicent and Daphne he got a subscription for “Magic International”, a highly recommended weekly magazine (somehow it reminded him of the National Geographic of the Muggle world) which focused on impartial reporting about new discoveries and political happenings of the International Wizarding Community (ICW for short). The twins had given him a pranking guide and Aliciel had gifted him a pair of jade, pearly cuff links which looked like the scales of a carp. When he looked at them a little incredulous, Aliciel had merely smirked and told him that “those do not come in red and gold” and had asked him to wear them (Later when Harry checked his wardrobe, all of his shirts could only be worn with cufflinks. Apparently Aliciel had transfigured them and knowing that he did not have another pair, thus forcing him to wear them.)

Neville had received several books about herbology and Gringotts had finally managed to find a loophole in the regulations and had returned the Hufflepuff Cup back to its rightful owner – of course removing the Horcrux beforehand.

Aliciel had avoided any question about her wishes for Christmas, which resulted in a guessing game for all of them. In the end Millicent, Daphne, Theo and Blaise had gotten her a copy of “Most Potente Potions”. They also handed her a leather poach which held vials with different potions, explaining that it was from Professor Snape. The reclusive potions teacher had also gotten Harry a set of potions, though different ones than Aliciel. One of them seemed to be made of liquid gold.

Then Harry saw another package with his name on it. Just as he was about to open it, Hermione stumbled through the portrait hole, still looking tired.

“Wow, Hermione what happened?” asked the twins. The Ravenclaw Lady looked startled. Then she opened her mouth, closed it again, looking lost.

“Ah…er…well I”

_Flashback_

_The dour looking face of Professor Snape came into view, just as Hermione was about to knock._

_“Ms. Granger? What brings you here?”_

_“It is really important, Professor Snape, could I come in?”_

_“It is almost curfew. If this is about school work, why don’t you come back tomorrow after you have consulted the library, now if you could excuse me, I have to –“_

_“It’s about Sirius Black!” That statement earned her the attention of the potions master._

_“Indeed, then it is better that you come in.”_

_Once seated, Hermione began to talk again: “You may remember how we told you about Lord Black’s innocence.” Snape nodded at that. “What I did not tell anyone about was that I sensed other magic inside him. At that time I chalked it up to him being fresh out of Azkaban but about a week ago I had a vision.”_

_“A what?”_

_“A vision. I can see events in the near future that are bound to happen one way or another. For instance I knew about the troll 12 hours in advance and I had also foreseen the events of the Quidditch match. As a seer I know the events will happen but cannot interfere until they really come true. Thus I could not warn anyone about the troll on Samhain. Now then, a week ago I had a vision of me visiting Sirius Black on Christmas Eve. I saw myself and a Hogwarts staff member going there. And I saw Black being infested with the purple magic. I came to you for help because you know the most about dark arts of the teachers and have been a victim of the purple magic as well. Hence I would like to ask you to accompany me to the Ministry tonight. If you do not wish to do so, I am afraid I will have to go alone…sir.” One look in her eyes told him that she was not bluffing. He supressed a sigh. Well, it would be better if he accompanied her than if she went alone._

_“Fine I will go with you, but would you please enlighten me on how you had planned to get out of the castle on your own?” he checked the grandfather clock next to his office door “It is past curfew and you are a first year.”_

_“Professor, with all due respect, I am a Hogwarts heir. The castle has awoken enough to recognize me and protect me from any possible harm. That includes being caught by teachers.”_

_“That sounds like a rather…Slytherin approach, breaking the rules just because you can.”_

_“Where do you think I have gotten that idea and information from?” asked the girl with a sweet smile._

_“Ms Granger why is it that you only become this way when it is just the two of us?” inside his mind the potion master went through the list of Slytherins that the Ravenclaw Lady was in close contact with. None of them could have had the information about Hogwarts being sentient. Only the teachers and the Founder’s families knew of that secret. To the rest of the world the castle seemed like an object filled with magic but an object nonetheless. So who provided Ms Granger with that information?_

_“I know that if I acted like my normal Ravenclaw self it would be unlikely that you would take me seriously. Talking about serious, we have a Black Lord to save don’t we?” With that she took his arm and in a flutter of papers and dust that filled his office, they disappeared from the scene. Only to reappear in front of a Ministry holding cell._

_“How did you do that? That was side along apparation!” asked Snape._

_“Not apparition!" The brunet huffed indignantly "You cannot apparate to or disapparate from within Hogwarts! What you just experienced was travel through elemental magic. I control the element Air, which is by far the most comfortable way to travel.”_

_“Do the other heirs have such abilities as well?”_

_“That goes without saying. Though Neville is still struggling, but I am certain Harry will master his flames very soon. Especially after the Yule rituals.” So the Founder’s heirs celebrated the old holidays…that was...surprising to say the least._

_“And the Slytherin heir?” Snape asked innocently. The brunet glared at him. “Professor Snape, you are my teacher and I respect you, but this is simply not my story to tell.” She snapped. “Now if you please would wait outside, I am not certain that Sirius Black remembers your reconciliation. With that she stepped into the cell, leaving the potions teacher to his own devices._

_So apparently there was an Heir of Slytherin in Hogwarts. And they were rather close to the other heirs. So probably a first year. There were three Slytherin first years in the group of friends around the Founder’s heirs. And only one of them was an extremely private person, spoke Parsel and had a shadowy past…_

_Five minutes later, Hermione Granger beckoned him into the room. He was greeted by the Black Vault manager, a poised looking Hermione Granger and Sirius Black pacing a hole into ground. From the rant the Black Lord was practically shouting through the room, the professor could gather that he apparently had been obliviated several times – unfortunately from behind, so the culprit was still unknown – which included – of course – the reconciliation between them, Dark Arts knowledge learned throughout his childhood, memories of his Grandfather who had seen Voldemort as the psychotic murderer that he was and had taught his heir about the truth of light and dark magic. He also had his soulmate mark taken from him, a crime punishable with death. Severus could only shudder when he dared to think about his own mark disappearing. But the probably cruellest deed of them all was the forged magical core. The Black family was known for its exceptionally dark cores, so it had always been a mystery how Sirius’ core had become light. With the help of a light curse the owner of the purple magic had moulded the dark core into a light one. A small compulsion spell took care of any residing doubts about his supposed light magic and made him hate his family with a passion – his family being his grandfather and brother, the rest did an admirable job of making themselves unlikeable all on their own._

_Now though the curse was broken and Sirius Black looked about ready to murder someone. But he would not do so in a Gryffindor manner, dear Morgana, no, he was a Black. And Blacks are raised to be Slytherins._

_“Lord Black, please calm down! Remember Harry, he needs you!” that snapped Black out of his rampage._

_“If James could see me right now…he would be…”_

_“Happy for you. I think in the end James Potter knew of these manipulations, he at least hinted at it.” Hermione reassured him._

_“How could he have hinted at anything? He is dead.” Severus could practically taste the bitterness inside Sirius’ voice._

_“Harry is in possession of the Resurrection Stone. And before you ask: Harry would be happy for you as well. I mean, two of his closest friends have dark cores, one of them darker than anything I have ever seen and considering that I spent almost two months in Diagon and Nocturn Alley, just looking at people’s auras, that says something.”_

_“The Resurrection Stone? As in the stone from the tale of the three brothers?”_

_“That one.” Both grown-ups once more resolved to never again question these children that called themselves the Founder’s heirs. Maybe this time their resolve would hold a little longer._

_After Ms Granger had helped resolve all the angst that came from having one’s life turned upside down, she and Professor Snape left the Black Lord and his account manager who wished to have a meeting on how they should proceed in reinstating the House of Black as a respectable family._

_Once they returned to his office, Hermione bid the Professor good night and let Hogwarts lead her to Ravenclaw Tower, where she fell into bed, instantly asleep._

_Flashback end_

“I went to visit Professor Snape, there ah…was a potion problem that simply couldn’t wait.” The whole group looked at her unbelievingly. To get rid of the awkward tension, Hermione held up her bag of presents, swiftly handing them out to everyone ("Quidditch through the Ages" for Harry, for Aliciel a Dark Arts book bought on a trip to Knockturn Alley no one had to know about, her research on Sky Bears in book form - for Neville - and so on and so forth).

She in turn received books, a set of high quality writing utensils and … a hair comb. It was one of those types that could be used for brushing your hair and fixing it. And it was a very pretty comb as well. It was made of bronze and the decorative handle (the part that could be seen if you wore the comb) looked like the stylized wings of an eagle. Under closer examination the comb was cloaked with some inhuman magic and a glamour that seemed to hide something ancient. Carefully she prodded at the glamour and the comb morphed into something that could only be the Ravenclaw Diadem.

“How?” she gasped out.

“It started out as a brainstorming session about the perfect present for you. So we thought: We got Neville the Cup, so how about we track down the Diadem? That discussion then again into a debate, whether Moldysnorts ever got his hands on other treasures of the Founders, not just the Hufflepuff Cup and Slytherin Locket. As if we had called her, the Grey Lady appeared.” Harry started out.

“You managed to get the Grey Lady to talk to you?!” interrupted the Ravenclaw students in unison.

“We were surprised as well.” Aliciel continued. “She told us her story, she stole the diadem from her mother, the original Ravenclaw, and hid it somewhere. Centuries passed and she finally cried out her hear to someone who could only have been the juvenile Lord Voldemort, although she refused to tell us his name.”

“So we thought long and hard…” started Harry, only to be interrupted by Neville: “Or rather Aliciel thought long and hard where she would hide a Horcrux if she was an up and coming Dark Lord who knew Hogwarts very well.”

“In the end, we concluded that it would most likely be in the Room of Requirement. From what my family has told me about him - only the Head of House knows his original name -, he believed himself only possible Heir of Slytherin and thus the only one in knowledge of the Come-and-Go-Room. So we asked Lady Hogwarts for a room where we could hide things that we would want no one to find. Precious things.” Aliciel explained.

“And voilà: A room filled to the brim with the most interesting artefacts appeared. We looked around for a bit and – when we were on the brink of surrender – finally found the Diadem.” Concluded Harry.

“We send it to the Goblins to get it checked and - as you have probably guessed already – it was infested with a Horcrux. Following the same procedure as the last three times – at that point we didn’t even have to ask, the goblins already knew what to do – they removed the Horcrux, placed it in Aliciel’s vault, polished up the Diadem.” Neville added.

“But what is this creature magic I felt on it? And why disguise it as a comb?”

“Right now only us, Ravenclaw House and the first year snakes know about your title, as well as Professor McGonagall and Professor Snape. If you wore the diadem in public it would be like a neon sign screaming: “Look here, I am Heir to Ravenclaw” and at this time this would not be of advantage, rather a tell-tale sign to the Purple Magic Person that their web of manipulations had been damaged.” Clarified Aliciel.

“As for the creature magic…that was Aliciel’s idea. She sent the comb to her … aquatic relatives and they charmed it like they charm the siren combs. Thus it will – quote from Daphne - easily tame your hair, make it all shiny and keep it in place.” Harry grinned.

Hermione looked a bit like a deer caught in the head lights. Then she turned back to look at the family treasure in her lap and smiled. Reactivating the glamour she held it out to Aliciel, who enthusiastically started doing the Ravenclaw’s hair.

Domus Unitas

It was lunch and only the Founder’s heirs were still in the common room, having been held back by Harry.

“So what is it, Harry?” said ravenette held up the silvery package.

“Who send it...” asked Neville.

“This object is old, almost as old as Hogwarts…” mused Hermione.

“I have an assumption to what this might be…” muttered Aliciel.

“…OPEN IT ALREADY!” all three said together.

“Okay, okay, calm down.” With the nimble fingers of a seeker, Harry opened the package. A cloak slid out, silvery. Aliciel and Neville gasped. Hermione looked horrified. “This object. It is like death itself. Silent and invisible.”

“Of course it is. It’s Death’s cloak.” Hissed Aliciel.

“Let me reiterate: Who send it? I saw a note slip out when you opened it…”

“Here it is. It says: “Your father left this in my possession before he died. It is time it was returned to you. Use it well.””

“Aliciel…did you know of this?” Harry lifted the cloak for enhancement.

“There were rumours of the Potter family being descendants of the youngest Peverell. Those where proven true last summer but I did not know if the Cloak had lasted through the centuries. I saw no point in mentioning it, because what use would false hope be?” the rose blonde admitted a bit haughtily, which they all knew to be her defence mechanism when being confronted with her mistakes.

“Are you guys going to lecture me on the importance of not using it too often?”

“Why should we? This cloak was made to hide from death. It is probably the safest of the Hallows.”

“We should remove the bindings on its abilities.” Commented Hermione.

“The Purple Magic again?” asked Neville frustrated.

“No, whoever they are they were extremely outgoing to conceal their magic.”

“Ha, well, most of the time concealed magic is easier to wear down than raw magic. A few verses should do it, that way we do not have to bother the goblins.” Sighed Aliciel before she started singing.

Domus Unitas

It was official. The Invisibility Cloak was the best present ever! After they had removed all malicious magic from the magnificent piece of clothing, the cloak concealed everything completely (nothing under the cloak could be seen, heard, smelled or felt, it even hid the magical signature of a person when in use) to everyone, no animal or human or half human could bypass the cloak’s abilities.  
Harry sat on his bed, letting the unique material pour through his hands. Theo sighed. “Just go already!”

“But…”

“It is your father’s cloak! And – just a piece of advice from an ex-snake – the giver never told you what “well usage” was.” Harry still looked hesitant.

“If Aliciel was here she would tell you the exact same thing.” Dead panned his best mate.

“Alright, alright, get off of my case, I’m going.” Slipping the cloak on, Harry disappeared into the night.

Domus Unitas

Harry stood in front of the mirror he had found while wandering the halls. It showed an older version of himself surrounded by his friends and family. Behind him where his parents, the Founders and his godfather, who was hugging and unknown man with sandy blonde hair. To their side stood Severus and Minerva, Augusta Longbottom was seen in the background. His friends stood right next to him. Aliciel had her arm wrapped around his shoulders in a rare display of physical affection. On his other side stood an unknown boy with blurry features, fair skin and black hair. The boy was lithely built and a bit smaller than him. He had his arm wrapped around Harry’s waist and his head leaned on Harry’s shoulder. Deep inside, Harry distantly recognized his soul mate. The group moved a bit to the left, thus giving Harry a view of the Great Hall, bar the house colours but where students sat together wildly mixed and amiably talking. It showed a Great Hall of a united Hogwarts.

A smile stole itself onto Harry’s lips. This mirror apparently showed you your heart’s desire. Because how else could a vision of the ideal future be mixed with a memory of the past? Tomorrow he would bring his friends here. Though he should better do so in daylight, one would not want Hermione freak out too much.

TBC

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> 1\. The usual: point out plot holes, grammatical errors, funny moments etc. (so that I can avoid the first two and put in more of the third)  
> 2\. Please suggest pairings, because I have several ways this story could go and pairings suggestions are always welcome. (Though not Drarry, sorry but this is just not my cup of tea, but there is a lot of great Drarry stuff out there. Believe me I have been there. Maybe a bit too much, because I cannot deal with Drarry anymore after having read way too many stories of it. And I was hoping to put some rarer pairings in this story)  
> 3\. EVEN MORE IMPORTANT do you want Narcissa to divorce Lucius after 2nd year or do you want her to stay with him?


	9. Conclusions and Hopes

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> short chapter, rushed chapter, late chapter...  
> Sorry, life happened and way too many family parties...

Everyone stood in front of the mirror Harry had discovered. Well, almost everyone. Blaise, Hermione and Aliciel stood as far away from the artefact as possible, casting wary glances at it.  
Padma and Tracey were bubbling over in excitement. They had decoded the cryptic message above the mirror – I show not your face but your heart’s desire – thusly identifying it as the Mirror of Erised. Theo had been excited as well, because one of his ancestors had helped creating the artefact.

The twins relished in the images produced by the mirror, a joke and prank shop in Diagon Alley. Padma had seen herself as a successful spell researcher, happily bonded with a soulmate. Neville saw his parents being healed by an older version of himself in a healer’s uniform. Theo’s desire apparently was to become an Unspeakable or Head of the DMLE, as the images constantly shifted. Daphne saw herself surrounded by her family in a little cottage in France whilst creating cosmetic charms. Millicent simply blushed and refused to talk to anyone about what she had seen, refusing to look at Neville.

“Hey, come on you guys, don’t just stand there, take a look!” the twins called out to Hermione, Blaise and Aliciel.

“That object is leaking malicious magic.” Whispered Hermione. “It’s like it’s trying to pull us through the glass, to feed itself.” Her eyes lost focus. “This will be the object the Philosopher’s Stone will be hidden in.” Everyone shivered at that and instinctively stepped away from the artefact. 

“I also would prefer to stay away from…that thing. Incubi need a mate to survive in this world, mother lost hers, hence all the many husbands who die a mysterious death. If I look into the mirror I will see my soulmate, not just a shadow of them, as my creature blood enhances the magic of the mirror. What if I am not ready to accept them yet? If Lady Magic wants me to, I will find my mate, if she doesn’t, I will just end up like my mother. If I go ahead and rush things, Magic’s workings would be disrupted. In a worst case scenario, seeing them now could cause me to never meet them in real life. I will not risk that.” Explained a solemn looking Blaise.

“Same here. Sirens walking the land of men is uncommon, as the rulers of the seas we tend to stay in the ocean’s arms. That is why half sirens are so rare, if a siren actually had a mate not native to the aquatic realms, it is even rarer that they pursue their other half beyond the sea and are successful in finding them. My brothers and I are the first to be born in centuries. Because of this circumstance, I do not have any idea how my blood would react to the mirror. And anyways, I know what I want, I do not need a mirror of all things to remind me of that.” Harry noted that his friend was being haughty again, consequently he knew that something bothered her.

After their group had filtered out, Harry sat next to the dejected rose blonde. He stretched out his hand to her: “Walk with me? We could talk about whatever is on your mind.” Surprisingly the girl took him up on his offer. With linked arms they left the castle, into the white December morning.

They were half way around the frozen lake when Aliciel finally began talking. “The answer from the Flamels arrived yesterday. Dumbledore did steal the stone and they have barely enough Elixir to last for the rest of the school year. Flamel contacted me and asked me to do everything in my power to retrieve the stone.”

“What? Why? You are just eleven! You could get killed! Is he that desperate to stay alive?” Harry burst out angrily. He stopped walking and leaned onto the railing of the wooden bridge they were standing on.

“No, no, no, no, he actually did me a favour by telling me that.” Aliciel joined him, looking out onto the lake. “You see, when I told you that he helped my father assume human form, I left out some major details. I was everything but comfortable with sharing them at that time. But, well circumstances have changed… My father is a fully fledged siren, he can only leave the ocean for a few months and then has to return for at least a year to recover. As he met my mother however, he stayed with her and us children, so he could be the father he wanted to be. Close, comforting, someone who would keep the family safe. He overstepped his boundaries and would have probably died, had it not been for Flamel. He had heard of our distress –as a human-siren bond is so rare we were quite a curiosity at that time - and saved my father’s life. Whilst Flamel did that out of his innate desire to help other people, magic recognized it as a life debt which my father and thus all of his descendants owe to Flamel from that day forward. If one of us denies help – by either outright refusing or simply doing nothing – magic will take my father’s life. In this case it does not even matter if we knew about our obligation to help or not. By him telling me, Flamel has not only warned me but also gave me the possibility to repay the debt.”

“So all we have to do is stealing the stone back.” Harry summarized.

“Indeed…Wait no! That is my problem. You guys don’t have to do anything!”

“Why? You always get to do the cool stuff! Let us have some fun too!” Harry grinned. Aliciel cast him a look that probably meant something along the lines of “Are you freaking stupid?”.

“Look, Aliciel. Whether you like it or not, we are friends. And we are here to help. If your inner Slytherin cannot deal with that, think of it that way: You always get us out of trouble and now it is our turn to help you with your problem. We are simply repaying our debt.”

“I guess you got me there…” the siren sighed.

“What happened?” asked Harry, suspicious of Aliciel’s lack of resistance.

“After our Yule fest, I got a visitation from none other than Rowena Ravenclaw. Apparently, Salazar Slytherin has left some form of himself in the Chamber of Secrets and asked Lady Ravenclaw’s portrait to pass a message to me. He mainly said that I have chosen my friends well and that he does not expect me to be cunning all the time. If I cannot relax around my friends and tell them my secrets and sorrows, isn’t that the same as being alone? So I decided to heed that advice and confide in you.”

“Why me though?”

“You are the complete opposite of me in many aspects. For one I would always opt to come back another day with a long rope, instead of jumping right down the trapdoor. But I would also overthink things too much and get nothing done, whereas you just barge ahead and see where it gets you. While I am good at scheming it is hard for me to deal with surprises, whilst you just improvise. I just needed someone completely different to take a look at this situation, because I could not even think straight anymore with all my emotional turmoil.”

“In that case I think we should just wait for the next time Dumbledore is out of the castle and get our fingers on the stone, preferably getting two rodents in trouble along the way.”

“I knew there was a Slytherin side in you somewhere.”

“It would hardly be surprising. I have some Slytherin blood in me, just like you have some Gryffindor blood in you.”

“Oh, so you have found out about that particular detail…” the blonde grinned mischievously.

“Yup, but why didn’t you tell?”

“I wasn’t exactly sure how you would take male pregnancy. I had hinted at it but being confronted with it is a whole other story…”

“Hm, what does that make us…cousins?”

“Oh please. The Founders lived over a thousand years ago and I know for a fact that the blood lines never mixed again, especially with the unreasonable feud in the last 200 years.”

“Is that when the whole “We are so much better than muggles” thing started?”

“Yes, when the Industrial Revolution came into motion and muggles suddenly were able to do things just like wizards, many felt threatened. At that time the memory of the witch burnings was still clear in everyone’s minds and the majority was afraid that we would be exposed. It was then that muggleborns were either treated like raw eggs or like something extremely disgusting. Especially in Britain. The other countries somehow had more time and blood prejudice isn’t as strong – if there is any - , as many remember that Magic herself grants the magic to worthy muggles, to contribute to our society and keep wizarding customs alive. Did you know that in Asia muggleborns are treated like children of Lady Magic herself and are revered as something akin to demi gods? In most countries they even have surveillance on children who could be magical and introduce them to the wizarding world as soon as they display accidental magic?”

“Britain must be really isolated if they do not know of this.”

“Yes but nobody dares to go against Britain as they are known to be the source of all magic. After all Merlin and Morgana – Lady Magic’s chosen ones - lived here and the Founders built their school in these lands as well. Out of all the Founder’s only Gryffindor was born on the Isles. Helga Hufflepuff’s origins are somewhere in Scandinavia and she came to Britain as part of a Viking raid – this is another reason why it is foolish to think the badgers are doormats by the way. Ravenclaw originally lived in the Mediterranean area, most probably Greece. We do not know Slytherin’s native country but he had golden eyes, which pretty much means he could have come from anywhere.”

“How do you know that he had golden eyes?”

The blonde grinned: “See these?” she pointed to her own pools of molten gold. “There are dominant throughout our line and it is said that the founder of our family, Douglas Blaire, was the spitting image of his grandfather, Salazar Slytherin. And we know he had black hair, fair skin and golden eyes.”

“What about the Gaunts?” Harry asked.

The siren made a tsk noise “What about them?”

“Why do you despise them so much?”

“To make a long story short, the Gaunt’s ancestor was the aunt of my ancestor, Douglas Blaire. Douglas’ father, Gaunt’s twin brother, was the younger one of the two. So logically Gaunt would have become the heir, had she not married into the Peverell family. However she tried to lay claim to the Slytherin line as well. In a fit of rage, caused by her greed, Slytherin disowned her. Still throughout history they claim to be heirs to Slytherin and have only brought shame to our family by spouting nonsense about blood supremacy and reproducing through incest.”

“Then were did Voldemort’s claim to being the heir of Slytherin come from?”

“His father, I have not been his name, was from a long line of Unblessed, squibs they call them nowadays, originating from the Blaire line. My family makes a point of never disowning squibs for some reason. So his muggle father was actually the only reason Voldemort could call himself an heir of Slytherin.”

“That is ironic and absurd in many ways. For one it was his muggle father who passed him his greatest asset, on the other hand, Voldemort is a hypocrite for promoting pureblood supremacy when he is a half-blood himself.”

“What do you expect, he is a Gaunt. Even that little amount of Blaire blood could not overcome the inborn craziness of that line.”  
Harry sighed. Aliciel was fairly open minded but as soon as the name “Gaunt” was mentioned she tended to flip her hair back and spew out the most uncomplimentary things. Not that she did not act that way with other people, but her targeted individuals were people who offended her or those she held close, not a practically extinct family she had never met.

“But you also said that he is likely to have laid claim to the Locket, doesn’t that make him Lord Slytherin?”

“I believe he turned the Locket into a Horcrux, thus making his claim invalid. The Locket was given to Gaunt as a last protection. While Slytherin despised what she had done, he was also his daughter. So he set conditions, conditions no one has met so far. If anyone ever wanted to lay claim to the title of Lord Slytherin again they had to pass seven, to even be considered. He even wrote them down and told his heirs to learn them by heart, so I can actually recite them, if you want me to.”

“Go ahead,” Harry encouraged “You are finally talking at least a bit about yourself…” he added, which earned him an eye roll.

“Very well:   
1\. The one who wishes to lay claim to the title of Lord Slytherin has to be of Blaire Blood.  
2\. The one who wishes to lay claim to the title of Lord Slytherin has to lay claim to the Locket.  
3\. The one who wishes to lay claim to the title of Lord Slytherin has to be a Parselmouth.  
4\. The one who wishes to lay claim to the title of Lord Slytherin has to find the Chamber of Secrets.  
5\. The one who wishes to lay claim to the title of Lord Slytherin has to possess water magic.  
6\. The one who wishes to lay claim to the title of Lord Slytherin has to be sorted into the House of snakes whilst attending Hogwarts.  
7\. The one who wishes to lay claim to the title of Lord Slytherin has to earn the trust of the four other heirs.”

“All that just so you can even be considered for the title? Your ancestor sure was picky.”

“Indeed. From what I gathered, Voldemort had completed five of these trials and failed at the last two, though he was close to finding a ritual that would have granted him power over water.”

“Which means he never was Lord Slytherin. He wasn’t even a candidate… you however… have five completed so far…but why does Gringotts list you as Heir apparent?”

“Because right now I am the one who fills most of this categories.”

“So in theory every member of Slytherin house could become the new lord, if they can speak Parsel – because of some creature inheritance for example – are adopted into the Blaire line, stumble across the Locket, wherever Voldie has hidden it, research some rituals and befriend Mione, Nev and me. Why don’t you feel threatened by that?” Harry asked, he knew how defensive Aliciel tended to get when someone threatened her claim to the Lord- or rather Ladyship.

“Simple” the grin on his friend’s face was everything but nice “Blaires do not do blood adoptions.”

Domus Unitas

Once more after that phase of flurry activity, five long months of doing nothing followed. Well, not exactly nothing. Harry still played Quidditch – he even set a new school record for the fastest catch of the snitch -, the Ravenclaws went hysteric over the oncoming exams and the Slytherin trio was plotting again. So far they had managed to make Pansy blurt out the most embarrassing things at breakfast and lured Draco into loosing even more points. Everything was going splendid until…

“We have four problems which somehow link together into one big mess. Daphne if you may.” Neville opened the impromptu meeting in the Room of Requirement. The exams drew nearer and nearer, thus they all decided to have one last meeting before they lost themselves in cramming.

“First of all we have Malfoy. The last two weeks Blaise, Aliciel and I have dropped hints and made sure to be overheard when talking about the third floor corridor. According to Professor Snape, Malfoy is about to start cleaning there as we speak. Luckily he has fallen for the bait and will get himself into even more trouble. With a bit of luck Filch will catch him trying to sneak in there and place him as far away from the trap door as possible.”

“Then there’s Weasley and his posse. They mentioned something about the game keeper hatching a dragon egg. Guys this could cause some serious trouble, as they will try to sneak out to hand the dragon over the Charlie Weasley.” Explained Theo.

“We could tip off some teachers.” Said Millicent.

“Or we could get Malfoy to follow them. They could get caught together.” Aliciel’s eyes gleamed wickedly at that.

“How many cups of coffee did you have today? Because you would have to be crazy to think you can accomplish that.” Padma sniffed.

“Oh I am sure she will succeed.” Sighed Hermione dreamily. All eyes turned to her. “I can see all four of them in the Forbidden Forest, hunting down the murderer of a unicorn.”

“Which could be a potentially dangerous situation…” added Neville, somehow concerned over getting their rivals into too much trouble.

“I think we can all agree that the murderer is most likely Quirrell trying to feed his master. Which means he doesn’t give a rat’s a-“ “LANGUAGE, ALICIEL!” “I meant Quirrell most likely does not care about them. On the other hand it would make the idiot trio believe even more that Snape is the culprit.”

“Which brings us to the next issue. We are all agreed on the fact that we have to get the stone. It would be of advantage to wait until Quirrell strikes so we have the excuse of trying to save the school by following him. But when will he strike?”

“Probably soon. His only real problem is the Cerberus. They are native to Greece and Italy and there are no written records about how to keep them, as far as British texts are concerned. Only Hagrid would know about its musical weak spot. If he can get to Hagrid he will probably march right up to the stone and take it.” Blaise surmised.

“I think he already had gotten to Hagrid.” Started Fred.

“He mentioned once that he wished for nothing more than a dragon egg.” Continued George.

“And with his tale of how the meeting with Norbert’s previous owner went it is likely that it was Quirrell in disguise.” They chorused.

“Why would he wait then?” asked Millicent.

“Professor Snape. I overheard him threatening Quirrell.”

“Three weeks.” Hermione bit out. “We have three weeks.”

“That means he will strike on the night after the last exam day.” Gemma realized.

“Well, at least we have to worry about getting bored.” Theo muttered sarcastically. Harry backhanded him.

“Aliciel, you said you had a plan?”

“Yessssss, Blaise I need you to lure Draco into the Forbidden Corridor and make sure the dog leaves some fur or spit on him. That way we can make him follow the lions, but still gets into trouble for breaking into the Cerberus room. Whilst we are at it, we need Filch out of the picture for around half an hour. Fred, George, is there anything you can do about that?” The twins nodded ardently. “Good. Just make sure they stay on track and are only discovered after they have given away the dragon, otherwise a certain headmaster might even give them points for “helping someone in need”.”

“What about you?”

“Me? I need to stay in the dorm, otherwise Pansy dearest will blow a casket over how all her misfortunes are my fault and I do not want my family background screamed through the Great Hall again.”

Domus Unitas

The next morning came as expected: Both Gryffindor and Slytherin house had lost points, throwing both houses into the last place in the race for the house cup. The Gryffindor trio was shunned and banned to the rear end of the table. Malfoy was also ignored though the Slytherins were less obvious about it than the lions.

Everything seemed to have gone according to plan, that is, if you count out an enraged Pansy Parkinson trailing after and indifferent looking Aliciel Blaire. “This is all your fault, half breed.” The pug faced girl screeched.

“I beg of you Heiress Parkinson do stop to run your mouth, you have become repetitive in your baseless claims a long time ago.” Aliciel’s face stayed indifferent but she put just the right amount of scolding into her speech to give the perfect impression of tired exasperation.

“Baseless claims? It is you with your creature voice who lured Draco into the third floor corridor!” the Pansy screeched.

Aliciel gave a long suffering sigh. “And how in Morgana’s name am I supposed to have accomplished such a feat when I was in the dorm room the entire time?”

“You -” Pansy continued rant was cut short by a raised pointer finger from Aliciel. Before the Heiress could blink Aliciel was by her side. “If you really wish to embarrass yourself further please do so in a less public space considering that right now you are humiliating your entire house by association. I believe by now you should be aware that the house rules clearly state to keep internal conflicts within the walls of our house.” The rose-blonde hissed into Parkinson’s ear. Then she sauntered to her designated place on the Slytherin table.

Domus Unitas

The exams were over and the group had decided to use the last few hours they had left by relaxing on the shore of the Black Lake. The younger years had taken of their shoes and waded into the lake, rejoicing in the cool water. Hermione had brought some books she wanted to finish before the summer holidays and Aliciel dozed on the lower branched of the tree, Hisui coiled around her. They somehow reminded Hermione of two snakes taking a nap in the sun.

“Why won’t you join them, Aliciel? Isn’t water like your element?” Adrian Pucey asked. The rose blonde opened one golden eye. “I cannot tell you. Family secrets. But I been given permission to either confirm or deny whatever anyone of you says.” With that the half siren readjusted her position and dozed off again. Adrian turned to Hermione. The Raven sighed, she definitely hoped that Aliciel would not figure out just how much she knew.

“I decided to read up on sirens after the debacle that was the Quidditch match. Basically they are the highest clan of mermaids also known as the rulers of the sea. They do not have fish tails all the time but they are very good at swimming and can breathe underwater. They mostly use their “fins” in battle and a siren gifting scales to someone means that they transfer some of the ocean’s protection to that person. They have several kingdoms underneath the sea which are connected by an empire which also compasses the entire water. The Empire is in a different realm and the main entrance is rumoured to be in the East Chinese Sea, considering that the sirenic culture is very similar to Japanese, Korean and Chinese culture.”

“The other way around.” Everyone looked at Aliciel. “The East Asian cultures were strongly influenced by sirenic culture. Wizarding Asia still respects the borders of the Empire though the same cannot be said for the rest of the world.” Then she realized how harsh that must have sounded and said “Please excuse my outburst. It is a rather sore point that mankind has decided to belittle magical creatures.”  
Hesitantly Hermione continued. “Like Aliciel said before, the Ocean will protect her if she is in danger. And all sirens have alluring qualities like beautiful faces, graceful bodies and of course their voices. Many sirens also have rather…exceptional hair colours. While they can enter any body of water without any consequences it is a sign of respect and politeness to ask permission first, especially if another clan of mermaids lives in said body of water.”

“Oh, so you cannot get in there without upsetting the merpeople of the Lake.” Adrian stated. Aliciel merely gave a hum.

“I also know is that sirens live for at least half a millennium and stop aging once they reach majority which happens around their seventeenth birthday. If they meet their soulmate they pass on their youth and longevity. They also do not have any interest in any romantic or sexual behaviour with anyone who isn’t their mate.”

“There’s something you are not telling us.” Stated Gemma.

“Sirens are …” Hermione hesitated and glanced at Aliciel who merely looked at her indifferently, signalling her consent. “Gender fluent. They change their gender when in their aquatic form and can change it several times in their long life span. Male and female form do not have to look the same, actually most of the time they look completely different. Since their own gender is something so easily overlooked, they tend to ignore genders and look at the person they are confronted with. It also means that no one is treated different because of their gender.”

Dumfounded looks were exchanged. Until Theo spoke up: “Is that why you were so relaxed to sneak into our dorm, Aliciel?”

When he did not receive an answer he turned to the blonde, who had fallen asleep in the sun. Daphne sighed: “Let her sleep. She got approximately six hours of sleep for the last week, so it’s good that she can catch on sleep now.”

Domus Unitas

“How likely is it that Quirrell got already through the trap door?” asked Neville.

“Very likely, it was probably him who wrote the letter that asked Dumbledore to the Ministry.” answered Hermione.

“Remind me again why did we do this alone? Without a teacher? Or the older years?” continued the Hufflepuff heir.

“Because we do not know which teachers to trust and we need to get the stone out of Dumbledore’s clutches. As for the third years, we cannot guarantee their safety. Hogwarts will protect us but not them, because she isn’t awake enough for that yet.” explained Hermione.

“And why didn’t we take our familiars with us?”

“Because it would have caused quite a ruckus. And if we fail to be back before dawn, they can cover for us, since we normally do not go anywhere without them.” Hermione sighed.

“Neville if you do not want to go with us it’s alright, we won’t blame you. Besides I think all of us are scared but remember, together we are strong.” reasoned Harry.

“Guys, hurry up, I put him to sleep but Circe knows how long that will last.” Aliciel poked her head out of the door way.

Quickly the four jumped through the trap door. They expected to fall maybe a few metres and get a rough landing instead they fell for solid ten seconds and landed on something soft and squishy.

“What’s that?”

“I think it is some sort of plant. Neville can you- whoa what is that, it’s…strangling…me!”

“That’s a devil’s snare!” Hermione and Neville chorused. “You must relax or otherwise it will kill you!” added Neville.

“There has to be a faster way to get rid of it!”

“Well, yes, fire. But there isn’t any wood here…” said Hermione.

“Who cares about wood?” roared Harry, igniting his flames, promptly burning the ranks right off of him.

“That is one way to go about it…” muttered Aliciel. Swishing the ashes off herself with wandless magic. All of the quartet had become very adept at wandless and wordless magic, only using their wands in class.

The tunnel they followed led them to an enlightened room with many flying keys. Luckily that challenge was easily overcome with Harry’s exceptional flying skills and the fact that the key they needed was already injured.

The first real problem they encountered was in the next room: a giant chessboard. When they tried crossing over, the pieces came to life and blocked their way with swords. There was no doubt that, should they continue their way, the figures would use brute force to stop them. So the obvious solution was to win the game to be allowed to cross the room.

“Sooo, anyone know how to play?” asked Harry.

“Nope” said Neville, popping the “p”.

“I think it’s barbaric so I did not bother to learn.” admitted Hermione.

Aliciel shrugged “I only know how to play shogi.”

“The Japanese version of chess.” Hermione explained when the boys made confused faces.

Harry face palmed, they were prepared for anything but not a giant set of homicidal chess pieces. “Well, how do we get to the other side of the board?”

“Hermione could fly us over there.” Suggested Neville.

“Impossible, I cannot summon up enough force for wind since we are in a closed room. Neville could you make a bridge out of stone?”

“Well, the only material I could use is the dust around here since the Hogwarts castle is warded against elemental magic.”

“Then why don’t we mix the dust with water? If we freeze the water afterwards we should all be able to cross over the board.”

“Not really. Neville and I would have to stay back here to keep the bridge anchored. You and Hermione would have to go on alone.”

“We could -” “No, we are doing it like Harry said, we do not have the time to think of anything else! The longer we wait, the more chance Quirrell gets to steal the stone.” It took Neville and Aliciel – who was the least experienced in actually using her element since it normally acted on itself – ten minutes to form a bridge that was strong enough to hold Harry and Hermione. Luckily, the Earth mage was able to support the blonde throughout that process.

Domus Unitas

Harry watched Hermione leave through the portal back to Neville and Aliciel. Then he downed the little flacon that would bring him through the black flames. Like Hermione described it felt like ice. Without wanting to loose time he strode through the flames into the last room.

The last room was illuminated by flames that cast their unsteady light onto the Mirror of Erised. In front of the mirror stood Quirrell engrossed into the artefacts illusions. “I can see it! How do I get it? Help me, master!” he cried.

“Use the boy!” a high-pitched disembodied voice answered. On instinct Harry knew who this voice belonged to: Voldemort.  
Quirrell turned around, confused, and only now he noticed Harry’s presence. “Potter!” he commanded “Come here!” Harry sighed. He really was not here to deal with this nonsense. He mainly wanted to get the stone so that Aliciel would not get offed by that life debt.

With a sigh he followed his Professor’s orders and stood in front of the mirror. There he saw himself being surrounded by his friends and soulmate. His mate grinned and showed him a blood red stone, which he shoved into mirror-Harry’s pocket. Miraculously Harry felt the stone glide into his real pocket as well. Shocked he looked up into the mirror. All of his friends and family held their pointer finger up to their lips in the universal gesture for “not a word”.

“Potter, what do you see?” Quirrell barked at him.

_Not a word._

“I see myself surrounded by my friends and family. We…”

“Useless brat, get away from the mirror.” And promptly he was shoved away. Now the only thing left to do was to get out of the room and re-join his friends. He slowly took a step back.

“He isn’t telling you everything!” Voldemort screeched.

“Potter! Get back here!”

“Let me talk to him!”

“Master you are not strong enough!”

“I am strong enough for this!”

Quirrell started unrolling his turban. To reveal – where the back of his head was supposed to be – a second face. And a horrifying one at that. Red eyes and snakelike nostrils.  
“Harry Potter” the voice panted. “Look what you have done to me! Reduced me to mere smoke and shadows.”

“Well it’s your own fault. You should have checked my family background! Founder’s heirs cannot kill each other. And as a Heir of Slytherin trying to kill the Heir of Gryffindor is not the best course of action.”

“You insolent brat!” Voldemort screeched “Kill him! Kill him!” he ordered Quirrell who suddenly appeared in front of Harry, trying to make a grab at him. Only to be pushed away by an unseen force.  
“How…” Quirrell whispered. Harry looked down at his wrists. The cufflinks Aliciel had given him glowed softly. He remembered Hermione telling them about the protection provided by siren scales if they were willingly given. And to ensure that he had that protection with him all the time, Aliciel had created a situation where he had to wear them.

Apparently Voldemort had come to the same conclusion “Siren scales… you are full of surprises, brat.”

Harry grinned. This protection meant that he could stay where he was, meaning that he could use his concentration on other things. “Yes, and I have another surprise for you.” With that all the flames in the room surged against Quirrell, bathing him and his master in a blazing inferno.

Domus Unitas

Harry sighed, looking after the leaving headmaster. After Voldemort escaped Quirrell’s body Harry had made his way back to the Cerberus’ room where he had handed the stone to Aliciel. Not five minutes later Dumbledore had shown up, ushering Harry, Hermione and Neville towards the Hospital Wing, although none of them were injured.

Once they had all been checked by Madam Pomfrey, Dumbledore had started interrogating them, asking them about the stone and Voldemort. He had only stopped after both Snape and McGonagall had threatened him with bodily harm.

Harry sighed, a thing he seemed to be doing a lot today. The bureaucratic ministry officials had delayed Sirius’s trial to the beginning of the summer holidays, which meant that Harry would have to return to the Dursleys since he did not want anyone to know of his emancipation. Of course he had begged the headmaster to let him stay during the summer or let the Longbottoms take care of him but Dumbledore had been relentless, telling him that it was for the best.

With a silent thud he let his head hit the pillow, only now he realized how tired he truly was and magic, being the gracious lady she was, granted him sleep easily enough.


	10. Epilogue and important notes

Harry sat on his bed the evening before the End of the Year Feast. It would be two months until he would be allowed to return. Shaking his head he made his way down to the great hall, only to be snatched by a hand and pulled behind a suit of armour. He was about to scream, thinking that Voldemort had returned only to be shushed by a very familiar voice.

“I have a proposition to make.” The siren whispered. “How about I kidnap you right here and now and we take the next one and a half month off and step off of the game board until Sirius is cleared?”

Harry grinned. “Sounds good.” The siren grinned. “Tonker, Creamy, if you would?”

They landed in the penthouse, where the two house elves had already prepared their luggage.

“So what happens now?”

“Whatever you want to happen? How about we travel the world?”

“Sounds good? Any adventurous places we could go? The last battle wit Quirrell was rather anticlimactic.”

Aliciel rolled her eyes. “How could I have ever doubted you were a Gryffindor?”

“Adventure, adventure.” Chanted Harry.

“Fine, I know that there are some interesting lost temples in the Central America…”

“Well then, work your magic, Blaire.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I realized some mistakes and anticlimatic solutions and everything was rushed. In the end, I will take a break from this series and start some new stories. Once I feel secure enough, I will rewrite and continue this story. For now I want to practice writing without OCs and will probably start some cliche fictions.  
> Please don't hate, I promise this story is not abandoned.

**Author's Note:**

> 1\. I am aware that the Shard was only completed in 2013. So please attribute its early completion to the fact that the story takes place in an alternative universe.  
> 2\. Aliciel will play a major role in this story. She will most likely seem like a Mary Sue in the first few chapters but that will change, so please bear with it for a little while.  
> 3\. The title is supposed to be the Latin phrase for house unity. Does anyone know if I got it right? I had to rely on Google translate for the translation, which is never a good thing.  
> 4\. I will try to update on weekends. However it could be that sometimes writing interferes with studying for exams, as in my home country they take place randomly over the course of the school year. On a more positive note, it could be that I update early or twice a week as I have many free periods during school days.  
> 5\. Constructive criticism is welcome.  
> Until soon, Luca Crimson


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